Dragon Seal
by weaponsmistress1010
Summary: Chap 32: Sasuke finds out he wasn't the last Uchiha after all. Madara is finally out to claim what is rightfully his even if it meant killing everyone who stands in his way. ..PROMOTE SasuTenJi..*edited*
1. Chapter 1

**READ THID FIRST BEFORE CONTINUING!**

Hey! I just want to inform you people that the plot is:

Tenten screws up in a mission and then she gets guilty because Lee gets hurt. Then she meets four people who will change her life forever. She finds out that she belongs to a clan. She struggles to find out the truth about herself and her clan and she also struggles with the biggest decision she ever has to make in her entire life – STAY to be with the people she cares about or LEAVE to find out the truth about herself, her past, her family and her clan?

* * *

**Chapter One: A new mission - Kogane Village**

"Are you in position? I repeat are you in position?" Neji exclaimed through the small wireless radio.

Here they were on another A class mission. Their objective was to assassinate the abusive leader of the small village of Kogane. It was a village filled with undiscovered wealth such as gold, diamonds and other precious metals and stones.

"Hai.. I'm ready when you are, Neji.." replied Tenten. She was on top of the roof of the village leader's mansion. She was the only one tasked to enter the mansion for she was given the job to assassinate the village leader.

Gai appointed her that task simply because she was a girl and girls had smaller bodies, which means she could infiltrate the mansion through a place where the village leader's ninjas would never expect an assassin to enter, the narrow chimney.

"Tenten! Be careful ok?! Don't let anyone see you!" Lee spoke through the wireless radio.

Much to the rest of team Gai's dismay, his radio volume was on too loud. Tenten clutched her ears as quickly as possible to remove the wireless telephone's ear piece. Neji froze and Gai-sensei fell flat on his back.

"What's wrong guys?!" Lee panicked. Unfortunately, he once again stated in a loud manner as he looked at Neji and Gai-sensei's expressions.

This caused Tenten to pull away the ear pieces that she was about to place in her ears.

Neji grabbed the ear pieces out of his ear and look at Lee with an 'if-looks-could-kill-then-you'd-probably-be-dead-now' look.

Gai-sensei got back up on his feet and scolded Lee for not being youthful enough to have the presence of mind to check the volume of his radio.

"Ah! So that's why! I'm sorry!" Lee once again shouted loudly with his wireless radio still on!

Tenten was now starting to get pissed because every time she tried to put the ear pieces on she would be hearing Lee's horrendous voice.

Neji was practically ready to close all of Lee's tenketsus and Gai-sensei was clutching his ears in pain.

"Just lower the volume already idiot!" an irritated look was already evident on the prodigy's face.

Lee was starting to feel the incredible murderous intent of the Hyuga genius so he decided not to say another word and proceed to lower the volume of his wireless radio.

"Is this ok?" Lee asked his teammates. Then a look of relief showed on Gai-sensei's face while an irritated look appeared on Neji's.

_"It's better to receive an irritated look than a murderous killing intent from Neji!" _Lee thought as he leaped from tree to tree to get a good view of the village leader's mansion.

"Guys? Are you still there? What are my orders?" Tenten asked. She then heard a silent 'byakugan' mentioned. She knew that it was Neji and that her task was about to begin.

All was going along smoothly. Tenten followed every single one of Neji's orders through the radio.

_"Neji sure is lucky to have the Byakugan.. He doesn't have to be near an object to actually see it.. All of it.." _Tenten's mind was drifting farther away each passing second up to the point where she was no longer replying. Lee, Neji and Gai-sensei where already getting worried.

"Tenten! Tenten! What's happening? Tenten!" Neji kept on calling her name.

Neji saw her through his Byakugan and it looked like she was staring in space and in deep thought.. Almost like she was.. No way.. She wouldn't be.. Not during a mission she wouldn't, would she?

_"Is it genjutsu? No.. It can't be. Her eyes are open. Don't tell me that her mind just wandered off and that she really is daydreaming!"_

Tenten was then zapped back into reality when it was Lee's turn to talk.

"Tenten! Are you alright?! Hello!! Tenten!!"

"What?" was all Tenten could muster.

"What the hell do you think you're doing daydreaming around there? Have you forgotten that this is the enemies' territory!!" Neji said angrily.

Tenten winced at the tone of Neji's voice.

"Tenten-chan! Are you alright? Don't worry! I'm coming there to help you!" Lee shouted through the radio.

"Wha.. What?! Are you crazy! No! You'll be seen!" Tenten exclaimed in quite a loud manner.

"Keep your voice down! You're in the enemy's territory!" Neji warned but it was too late. The last thing he heard was a loud crash followed by a loud 'thump'.

He could only assume the enemies had found Tenten.

Lee and Gai-sensei dashed towards the mansion despite Neji's advices that they shouldn't barge in immediately and that they should first think of a plan first. He had no choice left but to follow them. After all, he had the Byakugan. He could at least warn them of a possible enemy attack or ambush.

The three arrived at the gate of the mansion.

"Watch out. I can she numerous traps set inside." Neji warned.

"No wonder there isn't a single shinobi out here.." Gai-sensei replied.

"Hmp! If they think they can stop youth from saving youth! They've got another thing coming!" Lee energetically said.

"As expected from my apprentice!" Gai-sensei said as he gave Lee a 'good guy pose'.

"I HATE to interrupt but in case you both forgot, Tenten is still inside and unconscious." Neji said with an evident irritation in his voice.

"That's right! Let's go, Neji, Lee!!" Gai-sensei said. In fact, he was practically glowing as he said those words.

"Hai.. Gai-sensei!" Lee, who was so impressed with Gai-sensei, replied.

Neji knocked down the fifteen feet tall, three feet thick gate made out of silver and steel. They managed to avoid all the traps thanks to Neji's Byakugan. The three finally made it to the mansion.

They saw a large door made of ivory with precious stones imbedded on it and for some weird reason, the door was unlocked.

"I see five people in there. Probably ready to strike the moment we open this door. Are you both ready?" Neji said as he extended his arms to grab the door knobs.

"Hai, Neji!" Lee said with excitement and determination in his eyes.

"The battle begins now.. Let's finish this quick." Gai-sensei stated.

Neji and Lee both nodded.

Neji flung the doors wide open. There stood five weird looking people. They were wearing extravagant clothes around their bodies were several jewelries. The only thing that made people know that they were shinobi was their gold forehead protector which indicated that they were from the hidden sound village.

Behind the five shinobi, they saw an unconscious Tenten. Blood was flowing from her forehead.

"Tenten!! Give our teammate back!" Lee shouted.

"She's in our property. She was trespassing. Just like what you three are doing now." a woman holding two daggers said.

"She's in our territory. Therefore, she's ours now." a guy leaning on the ivory wall said with a dumb look in his face.

"Then there is no more need for talking. It is clear on what we should do to get her back." Neji said seriously.

"Oh? And what is that cutie?" a girl with two giant hammers said while she checked Neji out. The way she looked at him practically gave Neji the creeps.

"To fight.." Gai-sensei answered.

"Excuse me but I don't remember asking you!" the girl said.

"What?" asked a dumbfounded Gai-sensei.

"Are you deaf or something?! I was asking the cute guy with the pretty eyes not an ugly loser like you!" shouted the girl with two hammers.

"What!..Ugly..Loser?!" Gai-sensei screamed in disbelief. He practically froze and turned to stone.

"You have no right to talk to Gai-sensei that way! Even if you are a girl, you're our enemy and I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson!" Lee said to defend his idol.

The girl with the two hammers stuck her tongue out at Lee and said. "Nye nye! Who cares!"

"That's enough Kaori! You're not here to flirt or to debate with the enemy! You're here to fight! If you insist on doing it then I will be the one who won't hesitate to teach you a lesson!"

The voice came from above the staircase. It was obviously a guy's voice but his face couldn't be seen clearly because of the darkness. The moment he talked, all the other four were silenced and there was a hint of fear evident in their eyes.

"_Judging from the reactions they gave just now, it is safe to assume that he is their leader.." _Neji thought.

The guy spoke once again. This time he was talking to Team Gai. "Are you three just going to stand there or are we gonna get this over with?"

Gai-sensei has just recovered from his shock. "Lee, Neji, this is it. Don't let your guard down and…"

Both of them looked at their sensei. "Don't die." Gai-sensei continued.

Neji laughed at his sensei's words. "If you think that I'll die easily, think again." Neji amusingly replied.

"That goes for me too, Gai-sensei!" Lee said with excitement and determination burning in his eyes.

Soon the match started. Neji, Lee and Gai-sensei were amused on how weak their four opponents were. They easily disposed of them.

"Tch... I guess they were all bark and no bite." Neji said with a hint of disappointment. He wanted it to at least be a challenge. It didn't even last for a minute. _"So much for getting my hopes up. I thought this mission would at least prepare me for the upcoming Jounin exams." _Neji thought.

There was only one more obstacle to finish so that they could accomplish the mission and that was to assassinate the village leader. Neji went to Tenten's side to check how serious her condition was when he suddenly heard Gai speak.

"Hey you! Get down from there!" Gai threatened.

"Let's see how confident you feel when it's three against one!" Lee shouted.

Suddenly there was a loud and creepy laugh. It was no doubt the man on the top of the staircase's voice. He slowly went down from the staircase. As he approached the light, his face was finally shown for them to see.

In front of Neji, Lee and Gai-sensei was the village leader himself, Tatsuya Yagami.

"So… It's you! It's been you all along…" Gai-sensei exclaimed.

Yagami had a sadistic smile on his face.

_"What's with him? Why is he smiling?" _Lee thought. He was getting confused by the village leader's actions.

"_He can't be confident without a reason." _Gai-sensei thought. "Don't let you're guard down. He might have something up his sleeve." Gai-sensei warned which cause Yagami to laugh yet again but this time even louder.

"_He won't be that confident if he knew he had no way out. Unless, he must have some kind of trap set for us." _Neji thought. He stood up from Tenten's side and positioned himself for battle.

﻿


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the story. I just wanna inform you guys that as the chapters go by, the story will be better and better and better! This may be my first time to write a story ever in my life but I've day dreamed of really amazing stories for I don't know how long and I don't know how much! I just think that I did a really good job on this story. I've already finished its outline actually. I just need to add more details… Thanks to those who reviewed the story! The reviews were all quite nice! It inspired me to do more! So here's chapter two and I hope you read and review!

**REMINDER! This took place when they were still kids ok? Right after Sasuke left the village. The part in the anime where it was only full of filler episodes. The story continues up to Shippuuden! **I told you that I've already finished the plot so it's sure that I'm gonna finish this story so keep on reviewing cause it inspires me to make better and nicer stories ok!

**

* * *

Chapter Two: Failure**

A loud crash echoed through Tenten's surroundings. She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry. She could barely make out what was happening around her.

Tenten felt a sharp pain in her head that made her yelp and wince. She slowly calmed herself. She tried to ease the pain she felt. She closed her eyes and focused her attention.

_"Just don't think about it and it and you won't feel it…"_

"OWW!" Tenten yelped as she squeezed her eyes shut. Though she tried not to think about it, it was too impossible considering the fact that she's lost quite a lot of blood. She slowly opened her eyes to try to perceive what was happening.

She saw Lee, Neji and Gai-sensei fighting a giant dragon.

Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. She was really sure it was a dragon. Only, it looked funny. It was also a little stiff. Plus, it was on fire.

Tenten focused her eyes at it. It was only then that she saw that it was just a robot.

Tenten made a clikcing tingue with her tongue as she struggled to get up her to feet. She did it slowly but surely. But when she finally made it to her feet, she couldn't help but fall down again due to blood loss. She looked for her teammates and saw them fighting with the village leader.

Tenten was in rage. She wanted to fight but her current state wouldn't let her. She hated herself for being weak. She hated herself for being such a damsel in distress. And most of all, she hated herself for being helpless.

The pain in her head was getting the best of her already. She tried her best stand once more when suddenly, she streaks of silver coming right at her.

"Tenten!"

"Tenten-chan!"

"Get out of the way, Tenten!"

Tenten knew she had to escape from those things but her body wouldn't even move. Everything was going in slow motion to her.

_"Is this how it feels when you're about to die?"_

Tenten closed her eyes and waited for the impact. She waited. And waited… And waited… But it never came. She snapped her eyes opened. What she saw left her in a state of shock. Now she knew why the impact never came…

"Lee!" Gai-sensei shouted. He rushed to his favorite student's side.

"Tenten! You idiot!" Neji shouted.

"What's with you!?" Neji was now flaring up. He couldn't believe how weak Tenten was. Even though she was in that state, she should have at least tried to get away.

Neji was so enraged of the fact that she just closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

Neji couldn't bare to look at Tenten. He simply took all his anger out on Yagami and finished the mission.

Tenten was awakened by what Neji said. She ignored the pain that shot through her entire body and rushed to Lee's side.

"Lee… Are you okay?" Tenten said while holding back the tears forming in her eyes. Lee simply gave her a thumbs-up followed by a cry of pain. Tenten looked at the giant katana stuck on Lee's chest. She winced as she glanced at the other kunais and shurikens sticking out of different parts of his body.

Tenten couldn't stop her tears. "You IDIOT! I didn't ask you to help me! Why'd you have to go and do that!?" Tenten yelled while she was punching the ground near Lee's head.

"It was… my duty… a-as… your t-teammate… and your… f-friend…" Lee whispered.

Tenten looked at Lee with guilt in her eyes. She suddenly noticed that he was no longer moving. "Lee! Wake up! Lee! Don't die!" Tenten yelled.

Gai-sensei then carried Lee's body.

Tenten continued to cry.

"Wipe your tears Tenten. He's not yet dead." Gai paused. "We're heading back to Konoha! We need to get him to Tsunade-sama fast!"

After Gai spoke, he leaped with great speed towards Konoha.

Tenten couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't suppress the pain she was feeling both physically and emotionally. All she could perceive was that she was being carried by two strong arms up in the air.

Tenten glanced up to see Neji.

The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsiousness was the look of disappointment in Neji's pearl orbs.

* * *

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Tenten was awakened by a continuous beeping sound. She opened her eyes slowly and tried to assess where she was. Judging from the furniture, the people wearing white and the equipments in the room, she was positive that she was in the hospital.

"_How did I end up here? W-What happened to me?" _She thought long and hard then suddenly it hit her.

"Lee!" She yelled. She bolted up with such great force that her dextrose was removed from her hand which caused it to bleed continuously. She felt a sharp pain travel through her body but she chose to ignore it. Her sudden outburst shocked all the nurses in the room.

"Where's Lee! Is he ok? Take me to him now!" she yelled with all her might and with all her energy, she tried to get off the bed to find Lee. After all, it was her fault why he got injured. She was to blame for it. The attack was meant for her and not him.

None of the nurses had the courage to stop Tenten. They were all scared of what she might do to them if they did.

"I'll take it from here…" a woman who just entered the room said. Tenten immediately looked for the owner of that familiar voice. It was Sakura.

"Sakura! Where's Lee? You gotta take me to him! Now!" Tenten tried her best to get rid of the different needles stuck to her body.

"What are you doing? Stop it Tenten! Are you trying to kill yourself!" Sakura yelled as she held both of Tenten's hands to stop her from removing the apparatuses connected to her body to cure her injuries.

"Let go Sakura! If you won't take me to Lee, I'll look for him myself!" Tenten yelled back to Sakura as she tried to get Sakura's hands off her. Unfortunately, Tenten was just in the very beginning of her stage of recovery and that she lacked the strength to push Sakura away, let alone stand up by herself. But even though that was the state, she still didn't give up.

"_She's persistent… I'll give her that!"_ Sakura thought. Tenten kept on wiggling to release herself from Sakura's grip.

"Would you at least listen to her first Tenten!" a girl with blonde hair said. Ino had just entered the room and was surprised at the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.

"Let go!" Tenten yelled.

"She won't listen no matter what!" Sakura said with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it! You deal with her…" Ino told Sakura.

The door opened to reveal a very shy Hinata. Ino motioned for her to come in. Hinata was then shocked when she saw what was happening.

"Tenten-senpai… Please calm down…" Hinata nervously whispered.

"Why won't you let me see Lee! What happened to Neji? Is Gai-sensei alright? Let go of me!" Tenten, in a normal person's eyes, would look like someone who was in the mental hospital.

…_SLAP…_

Tenten clutched her left cheek. She breathed in and out as tears filled her eyes. They began to drop one after the other.

"What! Hey Tenten I didn't mean to make you cry! I just didn't know what else we could use to calm you down!" Ino said apologetically.

"Look what you've done Ino-pig!" Sakura gave Ino an incredulous look. "How's this Tenten? You can use my brass knuckles and beat the hell out of Ino? Sounds fun doesn't it?" Sakura suggested with an evil look in her face.

"How about I rearrange you face! Forehead girl!" Ino replied.

"Ha! Let's see you try pig!" Sakura threatened back.

Lightning was already emitting from their eyes and they were just about ready to kill each other when Hinata spoke. "P-Please guys…"

Ino and Sakura's death glares then pointed to Hinata. Hinata got a little scared but continued what she was saying for Tenten's sake.

"L-Let's all try to get along… T-Tenten-sempai i-isn't feeling well… And… Um… T-The least we could do is help her out in her time of n-need…"

After Hinata spoke, Sakura and Ino stopped their squabbling and directed their attention to Tenten.

"Hinata's right. We need to help Tenten out first and make our little fights wait until later." Sakura said.

"I agree. Truce. For now…" Ino replied as she extended her hand. They both shook their hands and were now both determined to cheer Tenten up.

"It's was all my fault..." Tenten whispered in between sobs as she clutched the blanket near her shaking body.

The three girls looked at each other with pity in their eyes. They really didn't know how to calm Tenten down.

Sakura gave Ino and Hinata a worried look before she spoke.

"Tenten… Calm down. Don't beat yourself up about it. Tsunade-sama is tending to Lee's injuries. I'm sure he'll be fine…"

"Yeah Tenten… Tsunade-sama is the greatest medical ninja ever! I'm sure she can cure Lee! No Problem…" Ino then followed.

Tenten remained quiet. She was deep in thought. The three girls were wondering if she even heard a single word they said. The scene kept replaying itself on Tenten's mind.

_"Get out of the way, Tenten!"_

Tenten closed her eyes shut.

"_What's with you?!"_

But their words woudln't leave her mind.

"_It was… my duty… a-as… your t-teammate… and your… f-friend…"_

"Tenten-sempai…" Hinata whispered.

The three of them were starting to get worried. Tenten wasn't reacting to any of them. She even looked half dead because her usual tan skin tone was now pale. Plus, her staring at the white blanket as if she's being hypnotized by it didn't help either.

Sakura tried to shake Tenten out of her trance but even after a powerful shake, she was still looking exactly the same - half dead.

Tenten just stared into the white blanket absent-mindedly. She was thinking about how she should have been the one in the emergency room fighting to live another day. She should've be the one they were all worried about. And if things get even more serious, she should have been the one to die. She just couldn't forgive herself. I was her all her fault.

She was pathetic. She wasn't even strong enough to protect herself. Herself damn it!

She was helpless. Nothing but a burden... All she ever did was hold them back.

She was never the one to save another. She was always the one being saved. She hated herself for being herself – not EVER being good enough.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. A nurse entered the room carrying some medicine for Tenten. She then told Sakura that visiting hours were over and that they all had to leave. Tenten needed her rest now if she wanted to recover quickly.

"I understand." Sakura replied and she motioned for Ino and Hinata to follow her. Before Hinata left, she went to Tenten's side, squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear.

"Get well soon Tenten-sempai…"

The three watched as the nurse injected the medicine in Tenten's right arm. Soon, Tenten's eyes were feeling heavy. Not soon after, she fell asleep.

Sakura, Ino and Hinata left without a word. They planned on going back to see Tenten again the next day.

"Hey, how about we bring her something to cheer her up?" Ino recommended.

"That's a great idea… But what?" Sakura asked. She was deep in thought when Ino interrupted her.

"I've got it! Why don't we buy her a new weapon! That would cheer her up! She is after all practically crazy about them that's why she earned the title "Konoha's weapons mistress", right?"

"That's a great idea! I didn't know you had brains Ino-pig!" Sakura insulted.

"Who're you calling pig you GIANT FOREHEAD GIRL!" Ino screamed back to Sakura.

"Pig!"

"Giant forehead!"

"Pig!"

"Giant forehead!"

"Ehem… Ano… Ino-chan… Ah… Sakura-chan…" Hinata tried to interrupt but their voices were just too noisy that she couldn't even hear herself speak.

"Pig!"

"Giant forehead!"

"Pig!"

"Giant forehead!"

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard.

Ino and Sakura immediately stop their squabbles and search for the noise's source. There they saw two of Tsunade's jounins on the floor with mountains of files and paper works on top of them.

"We're okay…" They heard them speak.

Just as they were about to begin quarreling again, Hinata immediately took the opportunity to interrupt.

"Ano… Sakura-chan… Ino-chan…"

"Hm? What is it Hinata?" Ino and Sakura both replied in unison which caused both of them to send death glares at each other.

Hinata quickly spoke to avoid another word fight between the two.

"Um… I-I don't think we should give T-Tenten-sempai a weapon as her gift…"

Hinata's statement completely troubled the two girls. They looked at each other as if they were asking each other 'why'? They then looked at Hinata with the same puzzled look and waited for her to answer.

"Well… I think, for now, it would only remind her of what happen to Lee-sempai…" Hinata said quietly and sadly.

"Yeah... I guess you're right..." Sakura responded. She looked at the floor and felt pity for Tenten.

She could, in a way, relate to what Tenten was going through. She felt the same way when Sasuke and Naruto were out cold during the Chuunin exams and she couldn't even protect them. Lucky for her Lee came to her aid.

_"Lee…" _Sakura was now starting to worry. She hated him the moment she saw him. He even asked him to be his girlfriend for crying out loud! But after that day during the Chuunin exams, she couldn't help but feel grateful to him. After all, her team owed him their lives.

"Well then, how about let's just give her flowers?" Ino suggested. She decided to lighten the mood. Judging from the looks Hinata and Sakura were having, it was almost like they were going to attend a funeral.

"Flowers sound nice…" Hinata then replied. She smiled slightly.

"Ok then! It's decided! We'll meet here tomorrow then! Same time. Bring some other gifts if you want. Things she needs like food, books even. You know, to get her mind off things…" Ino enthusiastically said.

"Ok then… Tomorrow it is…" Sakura replied.

Soon, they all went their separate ways.

* * *

(The next day…)

Tenten was awakened by the sunlight. It came from the hospital window. She sat up and slowly remembered everything that happened. "Lee…"

Suddenly she heard a voice from a figure near the window.

"Have a nice sleep?"

Tenten's head shot up towards the direction of the window where the voice originated from. It turned out to be Neji. She didn't even sense him there.

"H-How's Lee doing?" She asked with anxiety and guilt evident in her voice.

"The operation was a success but it would take some time before he recovers. If I'm not mistaken, he's not allowed to train until after a month or more." Neji paused to look at Tenten's reaction. Her eyes widened and her hands clutching the blanket were shaking. Tears also began to form in her eyes. She was about to speak but Neji continued.

"His lungs were flooded with blood after all. It was a good thing none of those weapons hit his heart or else he would have been dead on the spot. Considering his situation, just a single month off training is already a gift from heaven. There's nothing more that we can do. He chose to do that to himself and this is what has become of him. This is his FATE." Neji replied.

Tenten's whole body was now shaking. How could Neji talk so coldly? He could have at least taken things up slowly and with ease.

Tenten calmed herself down and then she started to talk.

"Is one month really all that they could do? Couldn't they make it shorter? How about a week?"

"Tenten, they maybe medical ninjas but their not magicians. Just be thankful that Lee's out of his critical condition now. He just needs more rest." Neji replied.

"Yeah but, you know how he gets! Remember the last time he fought with Gaara of the dessert during the Chuunin exams? He still insisted on training even though his leg was broken – practically incurable! He-" Tenten was cut off by Neji.

"Then maybe you should have thought of that before."

"W-What do you mean?" Tenten asked though she already knew what Neji meant.

"You know very well what I mean." Neji exclaimed as he gave her a knowing glance.

"If you had only avoided those weapons, then Lee didn't have to get injured." Neji stated emotionlessly.

Tenten felt a pain in her chest. Her beathing was now labored. She felt like was suffocating.

Tears were already flowing down her face uncontrollably. She unconsciously clutched her chest with her right hand while her left hand clutched the blanket. Neji's words hurt more than any physical torture in the world. Tenten would have given anything to just disappear right then and there.

"Take this time to think about everything you've done." Neji paused a bit. "You almost cost Lee his life and not to mention we almost failed the mission. Maybe next time you'll try to be more serious during training and especially during missions." Neji began to head for the door. "You can't let the team down again Tenten. Now you see the fatality of creating ONE mistake." Neji now had his hands on the door knob. "I hope you won't let it happen again…" With that, Neji left.

Tenten was speechless. Only the sound of her sobs and labored breathing could be heard.

* * *

Neji jumped from roof to roof.

He couldn't help but feel guilty.

There was this aching feeling in his chest that made it harder for him to breathe.

_"Did I say too much?"_

_

* * *

_After what seemed like years of endless crying, Tenten got up her bed and left the hospital room through the window. She needed to be alone somewhere else. She needed to think and reflect on everything that's happened to her. She just knew she had too.

Soon, she reached an empty clearing. She remembered this place. It was an old ninja training ground in Konoha. This was their first training ground right after they graduated in the academy. Now it was owned by Kakashi's team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura).

Tenten sat down on the ground slowly and tried to meditate. However, her meditation was immediately disrupted for she sensed something heading her way.

_"DANGER!"_

Tenten scrambled away from the place where she sat and saw 5 kunais now embedded on it. She looked for the source of the kunais and saw a silhouette of a man with a giant sword on his back. He was perched up a tree. She couldn't get a clear image of him since the sun was in the way.

"Who are you and what do you want!" Tenten said angrily. She was not in the mood for chatting. Neji just pissed her off and she was just about ready to kill anyone who got in her way. Unfortunately, she realized that she was in such a hurry to leave the hospital that she forgot to bring her weapons' arsenal.

Tenten felt a sweat trickle from the corner of her forehed down her chin. She hoped that this guy was friendly and that he just happened to 'accidentally' throw his kunai at her.

_"What am I thinking? He can't 'accidentally' throw his kunai at me!"_ Tenten mentally slapped herself for such an idiotic hypothesis.

"I'm here to fight." The man answered clearly and straight-forwardly. Before Tenten knew it he was already coming at her.

_

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Hey! I hope you guys liked it… Now the next chapter is where the real story begins. Slowly but surely, the secrets of Tenten's clan will be revealed. What kind of horrifying powers will she reveal? What will become of Team Gai? Will they be separated just like Team 7? I guess you guys have to read the next chapters to find out! Ehehehe...


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm back again! To those who reviewed thanks so much! As long as I have at least 1 happy reviewer I will keep on writing! I know my story is good… The rest just have to click the link to find out how awesome it is…

Thanks so much to **Chibi Natsumi** you inspired me to make chapter 2 and now I'm in chapter 3!

To **Asura of Love** thanks for the review! I promise you that **Neji will be a good guy! Swear!**

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**Chapter Three: The Stranger**

Tenten cartwheeled backwards and saw the gigantic sword stabbed right where she used to stand. In a split second, before she could even land, the man was already behind her. He hit the back of her neck using the swords handle.

Tenten crashed on the floor. Soon, her whole body started to ache. It still hasn't fully recovered from her last mission.

Tenten mentally cursed. She absolutely nothing to use to defend herself against this extremely skilled opponent of hers.

She started to get up slowly but then she was pushed towards the ground by a strong force. The man was stepping on her back to prevent her from moving any further.

"THIS is all I get from the heiress? I am disappointed." The man paused. "You are weak." He added as he neared his sword to Tenten's neck.

"_Heiress?" _Tenten thought in confusion. She still couldn't get up. Her body was suffering from excruciating pain and she still couldn't get a clear view of what the man really looked like.

"Who the hell are you and why are you doing this!" She yelled angrily.

"Now is not the right time for you to find out. If you really are proven to be the heiress, then you will learn about everything. In time that is…" He replied. Before Tenten could reply, a strong blow hit the back of her neck once more which caused her to lose her consciousness.

The man then turned her body over and placed his right hand's middle and fore finger on her forehead while he formed a seal with his left hand's middle and fore finger. He then began to search through Tenten's memories.

He found out about how she entered the Konoha Academy and had passed. After that, she had joined a team together with two other boys who had also passed the academy and they were headed by a goofy looking guy who seemed to have endless energy. He also found out that she was a child whose origin was unknown. She had been an orphan all her life.

The next thing he found out was the assurance that she was indeed the heiress they were looking for. He found out that she was first found in front of the gates of Konoha in a basket wearing baby clothes with embroideries of dragons. The man smiled and said, "Today marks the beginning of your reign, your majesty."

* * *

Tenten stirred slowly in her sleep.

"Hey! Hey!"

"What?!"

"She's coming around!"

"Really?"

Tenten scrunched her eye brows at the sound of voices.

_"Where am I?"_

Tenten suddenly recalled her little encounter with the stranger carrying a huge sword.

Tenten immediately sat up and assessed her surroundings. She was surprised to find herself in the hospital yet again. It was already dark outside. Night time came. She glanced around the room and saw worried expressions from Sakura, Ino and Hinata.

"Honestly! We see you looking half-dead yesterday and then today we see you half-dead LITERALLY! What the hell were you doing out in the training grounds anyway? If you want to train, at least wait until you get better! Are you all like that in your team? Training addicts? One day you're gonna kill yourself because of overtraining!" Ino scolded.

Tenten winced at the sound of her voice. She could practically break every single glass in the whole building!

"Would you just shut it Ino-PIG!" Sakura yelled in an equally irritating voice.

"Who you calling Ino-pig, GIANT FOREHEAD!" Ino yelled back.

Hinata was trying to stop them from arguing further but her voice was just too soft. It was like a small mouse trying to stop two lions from arguing. Fortunately, Tenten was already in the right mind. She threw a kunai in the middle of the faces of the two kunoichi whose faces were only 4 inches apart. Sakura and Ino were both shocked. They then turned their attention to Tenten and started yelling at her.

"What if you hit us!

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Didn't you even think of the consequence of your action?!"

"How could you do that?!"

"You're so evil!"

Tenten was getting sick of those two. She still hasn't gotten Ino back for slapping her and she still hadn't gotten back at Sakura for stopping her to see Lee.

Tenten let out a sigh as she spoke in a quiet but incredibly intimidating voice.

"If you two won't stop winning, I'll throw two more. This time, I won't miss."

Sakura and Ino just preferred to stay silent. A serious Tenten was a scary Tenten. She wasn't the weak and pitiful Tenten before. It was as if she had gone through something that changed her mood, her attitude.

The three watched Tenten as she was deep in thought.

"When you found me..." Tenten paused as she glanced at Ino. "...were there 5 kunais embedded on the floor?"

"What? Oh… I don't know since we weren't the ones who found you." Ino replied.

"Oh… Then could you tell me who did?" Tenten asked once again.

"N-Neji-nisan found you…" Hinata replied.

"R-Really?" Tenten replied in shock.

Sakura, Ino and Hinata watched in awe as they watched Tenten's facial expressions turn from shock (when she knew Neji found her) to irritation(when she realized it was the jerk who found her) to anger(when she recalled her meeting with Neji) to murderous(when she remembered the things that Neji told her) to sad (when she remembered the mission) to guilty (when she remembered Lee) to confusion (when she remembered the stranger) and finally to determination (when she remembered the word 'heiress' and how she wanted to know what that meant).

Seriously. She looked like she was putting on a one-woman show.

"Uh… Tenten?" Sakura called Tenten's attention but to no avail.

"Tenten? Hello? Earth to Tenten? Anybody there?" Ino added but she still hadn't noticed them. They started to get irritated since they were both being ignored. Before they could say another word, Hinata beat them to it.

"Maybe… We should let Tenten-sempai get some rest. She's probably tired. We should leave her now."

Ino could only sigh.

"I guess you're right. She doen't even seem to be in the right mind right now…"

Salura nodded.

"See you then Tenten…" She bid her goodbye.

All three of them left without waiting for Tenten's answer since she probably wouldn't answer them anyway.

Sakura was about to head out the door when she suddenly remembered something she forgot to tell Tenten. She turned towards Tenten as she called her attention.

"Tenten! I almost forgot to tell you…" She practically yelled to make sure that she had Tenten's attention.

That did the job.

"You're being discharged tomorrow." Sakura happily said.

"Oh… Is that so… Um… So how about Lee?" Tenten sadly replied.

"Oh... Well, he'll fine. I visited him before I visited you. He's getting better. Don't worry about him too much ok?" Sakura anxiously replied.

"Oh… Can I see him then?" Tenten asked.

"He's asleep now. You can go visit him tomorrow when he's awake, ok?" Sakura replied a little bit cheerfully to elevate the tension.

"Ok then…" Tenten replied emotionlessly.

"See you tomorrow…" Sakura said.

"Hn…" Tenten nodded her head and lay down on the bed.

"Goodnight…" Sakura stated as she closed the door.

"Goodnight." Tenten replied as she melancholically covered herself with the blanket.

Tenten couldn't sleep at all. There were so many things clouding her thoughts.

Lee…

Neji…

The stranger…

So many things were happening to her and what irritated her the most was that they were all happening at the same time!

_Would it kill to have at least one day of peace?" _Tenten thought bitterly. But she knew that was practically impossible.

Number one reason would be Neji's existence. He was always there ready to throw an insult at any form of weakness he saw.

_'Tenten what are you doing!?"_

_"Try to put more effort in it!"_

_"You're not good enough."_

_"Have you even been training?"  
_

_"You've gotta do better than that."_

Tenten clutched the blanket closer to her body. She tried to rid her thoughts of the stoic Hyuga prodigy only to have her thoughts drift to yet another unwanted encounter.

And then there was the stranger - attacking her for no apparent reason at all, refering to her as an 'heiress'. He wasn't making any sense.

Plus, there was Lee.

_"One month, ey?" _Tenten thought as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

_"That would shatter Lee… Take him away from training for one day and he's gonna get side-effects like fighting when he's asleep!"_

* * *

(Flashback)

Team Gai was on a D rank mission. It was their first mission since they graduated from the academy. They were to clean a polluted river found just a few miles away from Konoha. It took them 3 grueling days to clean it and every single night, Lee would attack Neji while he was in his sleep.

"Now is the time where I will triumph my eternal rival!" Lee yelled from outside of Neji's tent.

"What the? Lee? What do you think you're doing?" Tenten yelled from inside her tent. "It's half pass midnight!"

"Tenten! Do you wish to fight me instead?" Lee challenged.

"What are you-" Before Tenten could finish her sentence, Lee was already charging towards her.

"Lee!" Tenten yelled as she blocked his kick. She took some of her weapons out to defend herself.

"What's happening out here?" A voice called out.

It was Neji who spoke. He was awakened by the Tenten's loud voice.

_"Thank heavens! Now I can sleep!"_ She thought to herself as she cart wheeled towards Neji.

"Neji! Lee has lost it!" Tenten yelled. Soon, Lee realized that Neji was now there.

"HA! You finally have the courage to face me my eternal rival!" Le yelled which made Neji twitch.

"Eternal rival?..." Neji looked at Tenten who just gave him a shrug.

"Since it seems like he just wants a piece of you, I'm going back to bed." Tenten spoke.

Before Tenten made it back to her tent, Lee was already unconscious on the floor and Neji was heading for his tent as well.

(End of Flashback)

* * *

Tenten almost laughed at that memory. It was so hilarious! Lee couldn't move the next morning and he didn't even know why. So in the end, only Neji and Tenten were tasked to clean the polluted river.

Tenten was just starting to reminisce her past with Team Gai but she was interrupted by a sudden rush of a really cold breeze. She shut her eyes and held her blanket closer to her body. After the breeze disappeared, she could sense the presence of 4 people in the room. She suddenly sat up and was shocked to see the man with the gigantic sword from earlier this morning with three more people.

Tenten was about to scream but she couldn't move. It was as if the air pressure on her body was too intense that she couldn't move a muscle. She couldn't speak. It was getting hard to breathe as well.

"You don't need to speak. Just listen to what we have to say." One said which sounded like a woman's voice. Tenten observed the 4 intruders' silhouettes. If she was right, there were 2 females and 2 males.

"Come to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon if you want answers. Make sure you're alone. But beware… Once you decide to head there, you should possess a straight and firm mind to leave this village and all that are precious to you in order to accomplish what you are destined to." Another woman's voice said.

"You are the last heir to the throne of our clan. This is your destiny." He paused. "I will release my hold on you since I'm sure you're breathing is compromised but you must cooperate. If not, I'll be forced to put it nack once more." One man said. Soon, the hold on Tenten was gone. She was gasping for air.

The four waited for Tenten's reaction.

She was still hard up in breathing but she spoke nonetheless.

"What you tell me better be the truth because… I'm listening."

Tenten looked up at their silhouttes.

"Good." The man spoke again. Then, it was the man with the giant sword's time to speak.

"We've met earlier. I'm sorry if I was rough on you. I needed to test your level of skill and to tell you frankly, I was very disappointed. You need more training and you need to start to learn how to control your given clan abilities…"

"Clan... Abilities? I'm... Part of a clan?" Tenten inquired with humor evident in her tone. "And what exactly is this clan?" Tenten mocked.

The man's voice sounded as if he was smiling.

"I'm very glad you asked. Our clan has no name but we are commonly known as Avatars and you, my lady, are our leader. It is the clan that formulated all forms of ninjutsu known to the Shinobi world. Simply put, our blood limit commands elements. In short, nature responds to our calls. You can use any piece of nature as a weapon without even using a single drop of your chakra and without even using hand seals. Our clan's abilities were discovered by ordinary people and they've tried to formulate ways to imitate our power. They have succeeded but not thoroughly. Those imitations gave rise to what is more commonly known as 'ninjutsu'."

Tenten's jaw dropped. She couldn't fully understand everything but to be able to control elements without hand seals and chakra? That was just absurd! She was about to ask a question but the man continued.

"You too have the power to control all the elements. As for how you can learn to do all those, there is only one way. That way is for you come to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon. There you will learn about everything you need to know - your clan, your parents, and how you ended up in Konoha. We will also train you... Teach you everything you need to know. But in exchange, you need to leave Konoha to train and learn the techniques of our clan." The man with the sword finished. After he spoke, the other man continued.

"We can't afford to let anyone know that there are still remnants of our clan. You see, people fear us. And what do people do to things they fear? They get rid of them. Fear of a common things unites people and together, they join forces to eliminate it. Whether it's good or bad, as long as it is a source of fear, they will seek to destroy it. That is what happened to our clan." Tenten suddenly cut the man off and asked a question.

"How can you be so sure that it's me and how can I be so sure that I can trust you guys?"

One of the women laughed.

"Yes, we are 100 percent sure that you are the one. The person you met a while ago confirmed it himself. And he is never or just really rarely wrong." She paused as she glanced at the man carrying a huge sword. "Also, you CAN trust us. After all, if we were after your life, we wouldn't be having this conversation now."

Then the other woman continued.

"Why would we go through all the trouble of making up a story about a clan and telling you to go to the Valley of the End to kill you there when we can just kill you here and get it over with?"

The other man then spoke to support the two women.

"In short, we don't intend to harm you. We're here to help you learn about things you have no idea of for you've been away from your true home for 13 long years."

Then, the man with the giant sword concluded the meeting.

"That is all we will tell you. You are NOT to tell anyone about this encounter or about everything we've told you especially about our clan. The rest you will learn if you decide to go to the Valley of the End. We will also reveal our identities to you on that day. Goodnight."

Tenten began to protest.

"Wait! I have just one more question! How did you guys manage to enter Konoha without being detected!?"

It was too late. They have already left.

Tenten was now even more confused.

She belonged to a clan? And the heiress at that!

A clan that could control elements without chakra and hand seals? That seemed like a load of crap.

Learn about her parents, how she ended up in Konoha and the history of her mysterious clan?

Tenten massaged her head. She didn't know whether to believe those four or not.

But still…

They were right. Why would they make up stories and direct her to the Valley of the End to kill her if they could've killed her right then and there?

Tenten sighed as she felt her eye lids get heavy.

_"Looks like I'll have to think of these tomorrow instead…"_

Before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back again guys! More and more people are visiting my stories but not all leave reviews! I've received a lot of hits but not so much reviews. No matter! At least it was viewed! Thanks to those who read my story! Hehehe! Like I said it's my first story… I was surprised to see how much the hits have increased but I do like reviews too…** I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL LEAVE REVIEWS!** Ehehehehe! Thank you again to **Asura of Love** for giving me another review! Thank you so much for the support! Ehehehe! Oh and to** EroHoshi**, thanks for adding my story to your favorites! I hope I won't disappoint you! So here's chapter 4!

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**Chapter Four: The Decision**

Tenten was awakened by the bright sunlight yet again. She opened her eyes and was greeted by an empty white room.

Now she remembered everything clearly.

She was in the hospital after she was found unconscious in the training grounds. That's right. Neji was the one who found her.

After that, she had an encounter with four strangers last night.

"_Our clan has no name but we are commonly known as Avatars and you are our leader."_

"_Our blood limit commands elements. In short, nature responds to our calls. You can use any piece of nature as a weapon without even using a single drop of your chakra and without using any hand seals."_

"_You too can command the elements. As for how you do that, there is only one way. That way is for you come to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon. There you will learn about everything you need to know… Your clan, your parents, and how you ended up in Konoha."_

"The Valley of the End on the next full moon, huh?" Tenten said. She thought for a while and looked at the room to search for a calendar. She saw one near the mirror. She was shocked when she saw when the next full moon was going to appear. She then shouted in anger.

"Those four idiots! The next full moon's tonight! How the hell do they expect me to make a sound decision in just 24 hours?!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Tenten directed her attention towards the knob which was now turning. Her heart was beating faster.

_"Who could it be? Please be anyone just not Neji! Please just not Neji!"_ She thought to herself. She couldn't deal with Neji right now. She had so much on her mind and she didn't want Neji to be mixed up in all of it.

"_Damn it! How long is that door gonna stay half open!?"_

Tenten was already ready to jump out of bed and beat the hell out of whoever was causing the suspense. Heaven seemed to have heard her pleas and the door finally opened to reveal a nurse.

Tenten let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Ano… Tenten-san?" The nurse called her name with a little uncertainty.

"Hai! That's me." Tenten replied almost cheerfully. The nurse then relaxed and she started to talk.

"You are free to get out of the hospital now but you are still advised not to train until after a few days or until after you are thoroughly healed of all your wounds. Though they are just minor wounds you still need to rest. If you push yourself too hard, you'll end up back here in no time."

"Hai… Arigatou gozaimasu…" Tenten replied. She didn't really mind the nurse's nagging. It was her job after all not like she could blame her.

The nurse assisted Tenten to the bathroom. While Tenten was taking a bath, the nurse hung her new clothes on the bathroom door and arranged all her things. It took the nurse quite a long time to fix her things since there were a few weapons scattered on the floor. Plus, she still had to roll her scrolls up neatly.

After Tenten finished, she opened the door and saw her new clothes on the hanger of the bathroom door. She then peeped out of the door and looked for the nurse.

"Excuse me, may I ask who gave these?" She asked as she was pointing towards her new clothes. Her apartment was locked and she didn't remember telling anyone to get her new clothes. No one also had any copy of her house keys.

"Oh, your clothes? A young man gave it to me a while ago. He visited you too but you were still asleep. He was quite the charmer! He even fixed you while you were sleeping! He was such a gentleman and he was so handsome too!" The nurse was now blushing and she looked like she was in cloud nine. She then continued. "I wish I had a boyfriend as strong, handsome and as gentle as Hyuga-kun!"

Tenten almost barfed at what she just heard from the nurse! Strong – yes, no doubt. Handsome – yeah, she had to admit the nurse was right. BUT GENTLE!? HA! Neji didn't know the word gentle! Ok, maybe in the names of his moves but his moves weren't even near being gentle! They were miles away from gentle!

Tenten scowled. She knew since she's felt those for countless times already. Soon, it dawned to her.

_"He was the one who brought my clothes?! How the hell did he enter my house? He was here a while ago? He… fixed me while I was sleeping?! Where'd that come from?"_

Tenten was blushing slightly at the thought of Neji fixing her on the bed and placing the blankets on her. She shook her head before she thought of day dreaming any longer. She shrugged the thought off. She immediately grabbed her clothes and closed the door. The nurse was still sitting there like an idiot looking at an empty space while blushing madly.

After a minute, Tenten went out of the bathroom in her new clothes with her hair in two buns. She was still thinking a about the fact that Neji was there a while ago and the he was the one who brought her her clothes and that he… well… fixed her while she was sleeping…

It could only be Neji. She didn't know any other Hyuga aside from Hinata and Neji. Judging from the nurse's reaction and statements, it just really had to be Neji. Tenten looked at the nurse and sweat dropped. The nurse was still on cloud nine. She picked up her things and left the nurse alone to day dream about Neji.

Tenten was walking through the hallways of the hospital she then remembered Lee. She had to visit him.

Tenten walked towards the nurse at the reception desk to ask about Lee.

The nurse then told Tenten that some tests were being performed on Lee by Tsunade-sama and that she ordered that no one be allowed to enter until late in the afternoon.

Tenten frowned a bit. She wanted to see Lee really bad. She wanted to apologize to him and see how he's doing. She wanted to support and encourage him to get well soon and recover. After all, it was the least that she could do.

Tenten sighed as she bowed her head and thanked the nurse. Not soon after, she headed out of the hospital.

"Huh… looks like I'm gonna have to come back later this afternoon to see Lee…" Tenten sighed.

She was thinking of what to do to kill her time when she then remembered something very important.

"C_ome to the Valley of the End on the night of the next full moon. There you will learn about everything you need to know…"_

"Oh… Right… There's my other problem…" Tenten exclaimed. She was exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. If all these go on she could die of exhaustion.

If she went, she would learn a lot about her clan, her powers, her past, her family and even herself.

But if she did go, that would mean she had to leave Team Gai. Whether temporarily or permanently, she didn't know.

But there was one thing about leaving that seduced her the most - the thought of getting stonger.

This was her chance wasn't it? It was finally here. All she had to do was leave...

Tenten sighed. She knew it wasn't that simple. She couldn't just leave like that.

Tenten was in deep thought. After all, she only had 24 hours to decide. Wait... Since it was now 12 noon, She only had 12 more hours.

Tenten closed her eyes. She needed to think.

She figured memories wouldn't be convincing enough for her so she decided to roam around Konoha and recollect all her memories. After that, she will decide whether she will go or not.

* * *

Her first stop was Team Gai's current training grounds. Tenten then closed her eyes to remember all the things that had happened to her and her team till this very day. One thing or one person, rather, was always evident: Neji. He was after all Tenten's sparring partner. Every after spar, he would always say the same thing over and over again. Though the words change, they all meant the same thing…

"_You're weak Tenten."_

"_Is this all that you can do?"_

"_So, I suppose this is the result of all your training?"_

"_Put more effort into it Tenten."_

"_When are you going to take being a ninja seriously?"_

"THAT IDIOT!" Tenten screamed out loud!

"He's always out to get me! I don't know what I did to make him hate me so much and I don't know why I've even put up with him this long! Fine! Since I'm SO damn weak he might as well just start looking for a new sparring partner! JERK!"

Tenten was fuming.

After a few seconds, her anger faded away into sadness as she started to think about the other members of her team.

"Gai-sensei…"

_"He rarely notices me. He's really just concerned with Lee. Sometimes it almost seems unfair since he only trains Lee leaving me with the Hyuga genius who's too good and too full of himself to even stop to notice that I also need help. Come to think of it, no one is actually training me! Maybe leaving would be… NO! NO! There's bound to be something better…" _Tenten thought.

Her thoughts drifted to the last member of her team.

"Lee…"

_"He used to be weaker than I was considering the fact that he couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. But… Ever since Gai-sensei trained him, he's had such an impressive improvement that even Neji was surprised at how much he's grown... And what about me? What's to become of me if I stay here? I love weapons… I really do… But what good were they when I was against Temari of the sand? Lee had to cut in and save me again. All the training I've gone through... They were all for nothing…"_

Tenten slowly walked away from the training grounds disappointed. She wanted to go there to look for reasons on why she shouldn't leave but all she got were more reasons to leave Konoha.

_"First stop: Training grounds. Result: convinced me to leave Konoha…"_

Tenten let out a tired sigh as left the training grounds. She thought of the next place where she would visit when she suddenly saw Naruto training alone in a clearing. He was fighting with his own shadow clones. She hid behind the tree and tried to observe him.

_"Good… He hasn't noticed me."_ She sat on the tree branch and looked in awe at Naruto…

"_Look at him… Before he could barely even pass at the academy! Now, he's grown so much. He could even perform the kagebunshino jutsu – a jutsu of Jounin level. He's gotten that good simply because he's had great teachers. Kakashi-sensei and now Jiraiya-sama… I'm so envious! Maybe if I had two awesome teachers to myself, I would become an awesome too."_ Tenten thought to herself. She then remembered the four strangers the previous night.

"_If I leave, I get four new teachers to myself. But I'm still not sure if they're good or not… However, if I base my judgment from the previous fight I had with one of them, they have to be pretty good. And also considering the fact that they were able to infiltrate Konoha without being detected... Now that's really something! Out of all the top shinobi in Konoha no one even spotted them... I really have to hand it to them…"_ Tenten thought.

She then left the tree and hopped away from the clearing where Naruto was.

She was envious of him. She could have the same thing that Naruto had and even more if she left Konoha…

Tenten closed her eyes as she sadly whispered, "Second stop: A clearing where Naruto was training in… Result? Same as the first..."

* * *

Tenten hopped from tree to tree until she reached the Hyuga clan's territory. She stopped and stood in front of the huge Hyuga gate. She stared in awe at the huge mansion the gate failed to hide from the view of the people.

Tenten jumped up to the top of a tall tree. Her mouth fell as she surveyed the Hyuga estate.

"Wow…" was all that she could muster.

She then remembered that this was where Neji was staying since the Chuunin exams when Hinata's father finally explained everything to him – about his father's death and how Hiashi had nothing to do with it.

She began to wonder how it would feel to carry a clan's name or a clan's legacy and honor_..."Avatars... Doesn't that word mean 'reincarnation'?... I wonder why..."_

She sat down on the tree's large branch as she continued to eye the Hyuga estate.

"I've always dreamed of being in a clan. And now here it is! My dreams have finally come true. I AM part of a clan. No. I'm the heiress of a clan! Why am I hesitating?" tenten paused as she scrunched her eye brows. "There is so much that I could gain from this. If I stay here in Konoha, I won't be able to reach my full potential. They only pay attention to a few selected ninjas. We aren't all given equal attention. It's just not fair..." Tenten sadly said.

She hopped down the tree. Once again she was convinced to leave.

She began to head for another spot, hoping that this one would finally convince her to stay.

* * *

Tenten walked through the crowded streets of Konoha when suddenly, she saw Sakura in a shop.

She walked nearer and read the shop's name.

Pet Shop.

Tenten was a little confused.

_"That's odd. This isn't usually where Sakura goes to. You usually see her in the shopping district. What's she doing her?"_ Tenten thought.

She peered into the shop and saw what Sakura was doing. She was healing some of the animals that were hurt. Her mood changed from curiosity to envy and sadness.

"_Oh… That's right. My idol, Tsunade-sama, is the one training her now." _Tenten paused as she smiled bitterly._ "First Lee… Then Naruto… Now there's Sakura. They all are blessed with such powerful teachers." _Tenten walked away from the pet shop and continued to wander around town.

_"Fourth stop: The pet shop where Sakura was… Result… Same as the first three…"_

Tenten decided to head somewhere else.

She then left the town and started to look for her last stop. She wasn't sure where but she decided to just kept on walking and let fate decide on where she'll end up going.

She laughed at her choice of words.

_"Fate, huh? I'm starting to sound like certain jerk I know!" _She thought to herself. She continued to walk further until she stopped and realized where her feet had taken her. Just like she said… FATE…

She looked up at place that was supposed to be her last stop. The stop that she wished would convince her to stay in Konoha. There she stood in front of the mountain with 5 faces engraved in it. Yes. Those were the faces of all of Konoha's Hokages. She looked at it with sad eyes.

"If I continue to stay here, I will never be anybody."

Tenten looked at each face carefully.

"If I stay, my dream of becoming just like Tsunade-sama will never be realized. It'll forever remain what it is now - a dream."

She looked at the ground sadly.

_"Last stop, Hokage Mountain… Result…"_ Tenten paused as she let out a sigh. "_I'm leaving tonight…"_

The sun was already setting. She then remembered one more thing she had to do before she would leave.

Tenten left the Hokage Mountain. She at least had to see the person who saved her life and almost ended up causing himself to lose own in the process.

_"Lee…"_

"Maybe I can still find one more reason to stay here in Konoha…" Tenten thought as she headed for the hospital.

* * *

"Excuse me miss? What room is Rock Lee in?"

The nurse at the reception desk looked up to see a girl with her hair in two buns. "Rock Lee you ask? And what purpose do you have to visit him?"

"Yes. I'm Tenten, one of his teammates."

"Oh… I see…" The nurse answered while she searched the records for Lee's name. "Oh here it is. Rock Lee… He's in room 23 A." The nurse replied.

"Thank you very much." Tenten replied politely before she headed for Lee's room.

Her heartbeat was speeding up. She was excited to see him but she was also too guilty to face him. She wasn't sure which feeling was greater.

_"Here it is… Room 23 A…"_ Tenten thought.

She slowly extended her hand to reach the door knob. Her hand was shaking so much that she had to cover it with her other hand just so she could steady it.

She slowly turned the knob. With every passing second, her heart was beating faster and faster and her breathing was getting heavier as well.

The door finally clicked. It opened a little. All she had to do was push and she'd be able to see Lee.

For some weird reason, something was stopping her from pushing the door open. She was too scared to know how Lee looked like and how bad his injuries were.

Tenten breathed in and out as she mustered up her courage. She pushed the door slowly.

Tenten slowly entered the room with her eyes darted to the floor. She closed the door when she was fully inside. Her eyes still weren't leaving the floor. Her head shot up when she heard a familiar voice.

"Tenten! You're ok!"

It was Lee. He looked ok. He was being fed by Sakura.

_"No wonder he's in such a good mood! Sakura's here…"_ Tenten thought._ "I have to thank Sakura for this."_

"Um… How about you? Are you fine?" Tenten asked while she was looking at the floor.

"Of course I'm fine!" Lee shouted cheerfully.

"Don't just stand there! Come join us and eat!" Sakura said.

"No No!… I'm fine. You just eat there." Tenten smiled. She was happy that Lee was happy. She went near Lee and sat to the opposite side where Sakura sat and held Lee's hand.

"Hey… Get well soon ok?" She said sadly as she tried to suppress the tears from falling sown her eyes.

Lee squeezed her hand back and said with tears continuously flowing from his eyes.

"Tenten! I am deeply moved by your concern! But you don't need to worry about me! Tsunade-sama performed an operation on me a while ago! I'll be out of here in just a week now. Though that's like an eternity for me, Sakura-san promised to cook me dinner everyday until I recover if I promise not to try to escape from the hospital to train that is."

Tenten could no longer suppress her tears. But this time, they were tears of joy.

"That's good…V-Very good for you Lee…" Tenten said in tears. Lee didn't have to wait for a month! He didn't have to wait for a month! Tenten was so relieved to hear that.

"Oi! Tenten… You don't have to cry!" Lee said concerned.

"No… After all, it's my fault why you're here in the first place." She replied sadly.

"No. It's not your fault. I chose to be hit by those weapons. You didn't force me. It was of my own free will so you have nothing to do with it." Lee replied.

"But it was-" Tenten was about to protest but Lee cut her off.

"I told you. You are not at fault. It was my fault. Now don't speak about it anymore. If you're here to visit, I don't want tears. I want to see your smiling face. Don't listen to what others say or to what you think. Just listen to me ok?" Lee assured as he gave her a smile.

"So, how's Neji and Gai-sensei doing? Oh and I heard there's this new shop opening! A shop of sweets! I…" Lee just kept on babbling but Tenten saw through his attempt to try and change the conversation.

Lee was a really nice guy – a genuine gentleman. He never wanted to see a girl cry. He was trying his best to relieve Tenten of her guilt. But because of what he did, Tenten cried even more.

"W-What? Tenten? What is it?" Lee asked really worried.

"It's nothing. It's really nothing…" Tenten replied. She was really touched by what Lee did.

Now she had at least one reason to not leave Konoha. She hugged Lee. Lee was taken aback but he hugged her back in return. Sakura didn't want to intrude so she said that she just had to check on something and that she'll be back soon.

After Sakura left, Tenten sat back on her seat and spoke.

"You don't have to pretend. I know it's my fault. You don't have to be modest. Just be like Neji and tell me bluntly that it was my fault."

"I don't know what Neji told you but you know how he is. He pretty much doesn't care about how his words affect others. Don't cry. I'm not pretending. Not once did I blame you for what happened because it's really not your fault." Lee replied firmly.

"You're such a stubborn idiot…" Tenten said in between tears.

"That's enough Tenten. Just get some rest. After I leave the hospital, I'm gonna spar with you and I hope that you've gotten really really good ok?" Lee said with a smile that went 'ting'…

Tenten smiled with a little sadness in her eyes.

_"If you still will get a chance that is…" _She thought to herself.

Tenten glanced at the clock. It was now 6 in the evening. She had to go.

"Get well soon ok Lee?"

"You bet!"

"I'll miss you…" She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Huh? Oh Come on! It's only a week and besides you can come here to visit me, right?" Lee said.

Tenten didn't reply. She just gave him a weak smile.

"Goodbye…"

Lee froze as Tenten left the room.

Lee couldn't understand why but he just had a feeling that that goodbye was meant for real.

No. It couldn't be!

But the way she said it was weird.

It was as if her goodbye was meant in a way that they would never see each again.

* * *

Tenten leaped from house to house disappointed.

She thought she finally had one reason not to leave Konoha – Lee. But when Lee reminded her of sparing, she was reminded of how weak she was.

What if she made another mistake in their next mission?

Would she always expect Lee to save her? And then what? She would feel guilty all over again for being so damn useless and not being good enough to even protect herself?

She couldn't take that anymore. She's decided.

She's heading for the Valley of the End tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 5! Thanks to all the reviewers again! I so love you guys! The story will keep on getting better! Trust me… But of course! I'm going to leave a few cliff hangers while I'm at it!! Mwahahahaha!! So… Without further ado, I present to you chapter 5! **PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!! **

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**Chapter Five: Leaving**

The clouds were starting to turn gray and lighting and thunder was eminent. Soon, rain fell down from the skies. It was as if the rain was just about ready to devour the land due to its intensity. Neji opened his curtain to inspect the rain. Soon, he was staring in to space. At a normal view, he looked like he was just looking at the rain as if he was captivated by it. No one knew that his mind was elsewhere thinking about a certain bun-haired teammate that he hasn't talked to all day. Neji closed his eyes and let his mind wander off to recall the events that occurred this morning.

* * *

_(FLASHBACK)_

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you?" The woman in the counter asked.

"I'm here to see a woman named Tenten." Neji answered back.

"A moment sir…" The woman in the counter said as she searched the files for Tenten's room number.

"Don't bother I already know what room she's in." Neji answered. He was about to walk away but the woman called his attention again.

"Um… Sir! Do you need some help to locate her room?" She dumbly asked. Why the hell would he need help to locate it? All he had to do was look at the room numbers on the doors and look for the one with Tenten's room number! How dumb could this girl get?

Neji was already getting irritated. He was getting a bit pissed off at the attention the woman was giving him. How come she always had to ask him where he was going when in fact he's been there for a couple of times already? He also hated the way the other female nurses acted when he was around. They would fix their make-up, act all cute and always trying to get his attention. He wasn't in the mood for any of this. He wasn't having any peace of mind ever since the day he last talked to Tenten…

_(Flashback)_

… _Neji's POV…_

"_How's Lee doing?"_ She asked with anxiety and guilt…

"_The operation was a success but it would take some time before he recovers. If I'm not mistaken, he's not allowed to train until after a month or more…"_

I paused to look at Tenten's reaction. Her eyes widened and her hands clutching the blanket were shaking. Tears were also threatening to fall. She was about to speak but I cut her off.

"_His lungs were flooded with blood after all. It was a good thing none of those weapons hit his heart or else he would have been dead on the spot. Considering his situation, a month of diagnosis is already a gift from heaven. There's nothing more that we can do for now. He chose to do that to himself and this is what has become of him… His FATE…"_

"_Is one month really all that they could do? Couldn't they make it shorter? How about a week?" _Tenten replied.

"_Tenten, they maybe medical ninjas but they're not magicians. Just be thankful that Lee's out of his critical condition now. He just needs more rest."_ I replied.

"_Yeah but, you know how he gets! Remember the last time he fought with Gaara of the desert during the Chuunin exams?! He still insisted on training even though his leg was broken – practically incurable! He-"_ I cut her off.

"_Then maybe you should have thought of that before."_

"_W-What… Do you…M-Mean?"_ She asked me but I knew she already knew what I meant but I decided to tell her anyway...

"_You know very well what I mean. If you had only avoided those weapons, then Lee didn't have to get injured."_ I stated emotionlessly. I wanted to take back those words when I saw how she was reacting and how her tears were falling uncontrollably. I just had to add to the burden she was already carrying. And I didn't stop there! I just had to keep on coming, didn't I?! I'm such a stupid jerk…

"_Take this time to think about everything you've done. You almost cost Lee his life and not to mention we almost failed the mission. Maybe next time you'll try to be more serious during training and especially during missions. You can't let the team down again Tenten. Now you see the fatality of creating ONE mistake. I hope you won't let it happen again…"_

With that, I left. As I was jumping from house to house, I couldn't help but feel guilty… I wanted to go back and take back everything I said but I didn't, did I? I had to much pride for that. A Hyuga should never show his emotions. He must not allow himself to make others think he's vulnerable. I am a Hyuga. It is my FATE.

_(End of flashback in Neji's POV)_

Neji ignored what the nurse at the reception desk was telling him and just headed for Tenten's room. He felt something straddled at his right hand. He looked at what he was holding and remembered that he went to Tenten's house to get her some clothes to change into.

"She might hate me even more for trespassing in her house but I guess she really needs this…"

Neji entered Tenten's hospital room. There he saw her still asleep in her bed. The blankets had fallen out of the bed, the pillows were everywhere and her head was on the side of the bed where her feet were supposed to be and vice versa. Neji smiled at the sight he was seeing. He never knew Tenten slept so childishly. He still had to admit, seeing this side of her was nice.

Neji immediately shrugged the thought away and walked towards Tenten. He stopped as soon as he heard a knock on the door.

Neji watched as a nurse entered. The nurse seemed surprised to see him there. She blushed and silently bowed her head.

"_Not this again…" _Neji thought. The nurse suddenly spoke and called his attention.

"Um… Ano… Hyuga-kun… Um… Is there anything… That I um… Can help you with?" The nurse asked as she batted her eyelashes only to find Neji paying no attention to her. He was no longer standing in his previous position. He was fixing Tenten on her bed.

The nurse sighed as she watched him. She then looked at Tenten. _"She is so lucky! I wish I was her!"_

Neji carried Tenten and placed her head in the side of the bed where it should be. He placed one pillow under her head and placed one pillow each on her side. He picked up the blanket and covered Tenten's body with it. He looked at her to check if he had missed anything. He then did something uncharacteristically. He brushed some strands of hair of Tenten's face and SMILED.

Neji then realized that he had been staring at Tenten for quite some time now. He then turned away from her only to see that the nurse was still there. She had witnessed everything! Neji tried to act as if it was nothing. He regained his calm, composed himself, and then he spoke.

"If she wakes up, please give her the clothes on the table."

The nurse then nodded. She was still blushing when she left the room. Neji ignored the nurse's reaction and looked back at Tenten sadly. He sat beside Tenten and began to remember all the things he'd said and done to her. He then began to whisper his apology to her.

"I'm sorry… It's probably my fault why you've been hard up in dealing with things lately." He paused. "About the things I told you before, well… I didn't mean any of those! I just felt like, well… Like I needed to tell you the 'reality' of you're doing. You know? To make you stronger next time… So that you won't make the same mistakes again… So that you won't be hurt…"

Neji paused once more to glance at Tenten anxiously. "But I guess I was wrong. I only made it very hard for you Tenten. I'm really sorry. I'm not going to be surprised if you never want to talk to me again. But I really hope that you can find it in your heart…To forgive me… " After Neji told her those words, he stood up silently and he began to walk away from her.

Neji headed for the door but before he left, he gave Tenten one more glance and whispered… "I'm so sorry…" With that, he left her.

(End of Flashback now, back to the present)

* * *

Neji opened his eyes. He saw the rain was pouring harder than it was a few minutes ago. He wondered where Tenten was. He heard that she was released from the hospital this day but he hadn't seen her since this morning. He really wanted to talk to her but he was afraid she might reject him. He wouldn't be surprised if she did though. He closed the curtains and lay down on his bed. He was exhausted. Not because of training but because of Tenten. He hated it when they had arguments because his mind and conscience would torment him over and over. He hasn't had an ounce of sleep because of what happened to them the other day. The only thing that would make him relieved and at peace was if he and Tenten were back to normal.

He was tired. He needed some sleep. He wouldn't let his guilt keep him up all night. He then decided…

"I'll talk to her tomorrow… I'll apologize to her then…"

* * *

Tenten looked at the picture of her and her team for the last time and placed it in her bag. She wiped a few tears that were too stubborn to stay in her tear ducts.

She began to look around her room as she tried her best to remember every single detail of it. She would miss this room of hers.

She wiped a few more tears and looked at her bag. She checked if she had everything with her.

Then, her eyes landed on three envelops. She took them in her hands carefully.

"_My letters..."_

Tenten hugged them one last time before she placed them neatly on her bed.

_"I hope they find it…"_

She closed her bag when she was sure she had everything.

She was set.

She opened the door and gave her room one more glance.

This was it. There was no turning back.  


* * *

Tenten jumped from roof to roof.

She had to be careful not to let anyone see her or else her plans would be ruined.

She swiftly hid behind a tree when she saw two Jounins pass by. They were Tsunade's personal Jounins. If she ran into them, her journey would end right then and there before it even started.

Tenten watched as the two disappeared before she jumped off the tree to continue her quest.

Soon, she had reached the gate. She turned around and gave Konoha one last look. This time she didn't bother to wipe the tears falling from her eyes. She glanced at the Hokage Mountain, the Hokage tower, Ichiraku's Ramen, the Hyuga estate, Konoha Academy and the training grounds.

"This is it Konoha..." Tenten paused as a sad smile made its way to her face. "I will miss you."

Tenten turned away from Konoha and ran out of the gate.

_"Don't look back! Don't look back!! Don't look back!!"_

She promised that she wouldn't look back for she knew that of she did, she would only be filled with sadness and longing.

She kept on running. Not once looking back.

She had made her decision. She would become stronger - strong enough save Konoha and all the people she loved, strong enough to protect herself and most of all, strong enough to make her teammates proud.

She knew she would not see them again after a long long time but she was willing to take the risk.

She wanted this. No. She needed this.

Tomorrow would be the start of a new beginning for her.

A start of a new life and a new hope…


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! I'm back again! It's chapter 6 now! So it took so long to update! I've been busy with my graduation this March 28… Oh yeah, tomorrow! I was just the salutatorian! Damn it… It's so unfair! Talk about favoritism! Doctoring grades! Everyone in our batch knows that I should be the valedictorian! Stupid teachers! RRRGGGHHH! Burn in hell!!

Anyway… Thanks to those who reviewed! I love you guys for taking the effort to review. Common! Just click the go button on the end of the window and type whatever you feel like typing and submit it! It's that easy ok?!

Arigatou gozaimasu!

So without further ado here's chapter 6… **PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!**

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Chapter Six: The Journey**

Tenten stared at the fire intensely as she threw in the last of her gathered firewood. She was deep in thought. She's been traveling for two hours straight and this being her first rest. Thanks to all the rough training she's been through she was able to travel that long.

She then tore her eyes away from the fire as she inspected her surroundings. It was so quiet. If it weren't for the different forest bugs she'd probably think she's gone deaf. She was never really used to silence. Who could blame her? Being stuck in a team with two hyperactive people who never seem to run out off energy, she wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't used to a serene and quiet environment.

She looked to her right and saw an image of Lee fixing the tents for them to sleep in. She looked at her left and saw an image of Gai-sensei giving his oh so famous speech about YOUTH. Lee would occasionally stop building the tents to look at Gai-sensei with shining eyes and before you knew it they would be hugging each other and their background would change into either a cliff, a beach with splashing waves, a sunset or pretty much anything that added to their so-called drama. They would continue crying into each others arms and talking about youth until Neji would speak up and say that they should stop their moronic actions and grow up, only to be scolded by Gai-sensei and given a punishment – 1000 laps around Konoha which would cause Neji's eyes to twitch!

Tenten fell to the floor laughing her heart out. Those were the days.

It was one of the survival trainings Gai-sensei planned for them.

Neji always got punished every time he would make fun of Lee and Gai-sensei when they were having a moment of appreciation for YOUTH.

Ever since that week of survival training, Neji simply ignored their theatrics. Who wouldn't? Imagine getting a punishment of 1000 laps around Konoha every time he criticized their so-called appreciation for YOUTH?

When they got back from training, Neji ahd to run a total of 7000 laps around Konoha since he insulted them seven times. For a genius, he wasn't that samrt, was he?

That was basically the reason why the two of them, Neji and Tenten, simply ignored Lee and Gai whenever they're having their so called appreciation for YOUTH.

Tenten's laughter slowly died.

She let out a sigh as she sat up and composed herself. She drank what was left of the her water in her first water jug and placed it back to her bag.

She looked back at the fire.

It was nearly out.

Tenten closed her eyes. She would continue her journey when the fire finally stopped burning.

**

* * *

**Lee couldn't sleep at all.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Tenten said to him earlier.

It wasn't actually what she said to him. It was the manner on how she told him. It was really as if... As if he would never see her again…

_(Flashback)_

"_Get well soon ok Lee?"_

"_You bet!"_

"_I'll miss you…" She said with a hint of sadness in her voice._

"_Huh? Oh Come on! It's only a week and besides you can come here to visit me, right?" Lee said._

_Tenten didn't reply. She just gave him a weak smile and said…_

"_Goodbye…"_

_(End of Flashback)_

Lee bolted himself up in a sitting position. He was sweating a little and was breathing faster. He knew something wasn't right but what? He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong or what was happening. He just couldn't stay calm. It was as if something terribly wrong was happening. He looked out of the window and saw the star-filled sky. He calmed himself down a bit by breathing in and out slowly and by reminding himself that nothing was wrong and that he was only paranoid.

"_Goodbye…"_

Lee pulled on his hair as he remembered Tenten's last word to him. He just felt weird like something was wrong. Why did Tenten make it seem like that 'goodbye' was meant for real? Why? She had no reason to leave! At least, he thought she didn't.

"Maybe she was just sad or maybe she was still guilty and was still blaming herself for what happened to me! Yeah! That's it! There's no other explanation…" Lee told himself.

"Maybe I'm just being too paranoid! I mean, this is Tenten we're talking about! She'd definitely have no reason to leave us! No way!" Lee tried to reason with himself. Soon, his inner self spoke.

_"Is that what you really think?"_

"Of course! She's my teammate! I know her well!" Lee replied.

_"Then how come she sounded that way?"_ His inner self argued.

"She was just guilty! That's all!" Lee argued back.

_"Are you sure that's all there is to it?"_ His inner self said.

"Of course I'm sure!!" Lee yelled.

_"Then what if she really did leave?"_ His inner self teased. Lee was getting tired of this! He couldn't believe he was arguing with himself! It was unheard of! He then spoke.

"She won't leave! I guarantee you that! Now stop bugging me! I need rest!" Lee demanded as he lay back down the bed and covered himself with the blanket. His inner self laughed and said.

_"Who's bothering who? I am YOU you idiot! I represent the other side of you. In other words, you're bothering yourself!"_ The inner Lee laughed some more. Lee bolted back into a sitting position. He couldn't take this anymore! He swore that if anyone saw him he'd look like someone who needed attention from the mental hospital.

"You are going to stop and I mean that now!" Lee yelled as he took the vase and slammed it on his head! Soon, he was out cold.

**

* * *

**_(Meanwhile… Somewhere in the forest…)_

"I can't believe this! Where the hell are we?!" A woman yelled.

The four strangers were in the forest arguing. It seems like they had no idea where the Valley of the End was!

"I thought you knew where it was?!" A man yelled at the man with the giant sword.

"Uh… Well since it was a popular battle field I thought it would be easy to find." He replied as he looked around while he scratched his head.

"What do we do when she gets there before we do?" A woman with a soft and kind voice replied.

"Just trust him to pick a meeting place that he doesn't even know! I bet you just chose that because it had a really cool name didn't you?!" The other woman yelled at the man with the giant sword.

"Let's just split up and look for it. Let's use our wireless radios to communicate. Who ever finds it first must inform the others as soon as possible. Also, whoever finds it first must stay there and wait just in case the heiress arrives. How's that?" The woman with the gentle voice replied.

"Ok…" The man with the giant sword sighed.

"It's not like we have a choice…" The other woman said irritated.

"Huh… Some leader you are…" The other man added while he looked at the man with the giant sword. Soon, the three left leaving the man with the giant sword behind.

"I am seriously losing some face here…" He said before he disappeared to look for the cursed rendezvous point.

**

* * *

**Tenten leaped from tree to tree. She was already half way there. If she continued her pace for 2 to 3 more hours, she'd reach the Valley of the End by midnight. She sighed at the thought of traveling for three hours straight without rest but she was already lucky enough to get a break a few minutes ago. She'd just have to go a little faster if she wanted to reach the Valley of the End quicker.

Tenten sighed. This was such a bitter sweet moment.

She knew leaving was the best option there was. But she still couldn't help but feel guilty about it as well. She felt like she was running away.

Tenten shook her head. She made her decision right? Besides, she was nearly there. Turning back now would have wasted all her efforts.

Tenten increased her speed once more. The nearer she got to the Valley of the End, the sooner her thoughts of turning back would disappear.

Tenten sighed once more.

She never once thought that she'd be joining the list of the missing nins in her young age.

* * *

"Has anyone found it already?" A woman said infuriated.

"I'm searching through a bird's eye view and I still don't see anything" One man said. He was flying in the air with the help of a glider.

(AN: If you can't get the idea, it's the same as Aang of Avatar: The Last Air Bender's glider. If you want you can search it in the net. It looks like a staff when it's not yet opened. You can only open it through sending a strong gust of air through it. Just search the net to see for yourself because it won't be any fun if you can't imagine it! It will have pretty important parts in the next chapters and I don't want my readers to not be able to connect!)

"Be patient. I'm sure we'll find it." A woman with a gentle voice replied.

The man with the giant sword wasn't saying a word. He just kept his thoughts to himself.

"_I hope I find it so that I would at least be able to get some retribution around here!"_

They all continued their search for it. Soon, they heard a shout of joy.

"Guys! I think I found it!" The kind woman shouted with glee.

"Are you sure?" The other man replied.

"Well… What is it supposed to look like? The woman with the gentle voice asked. This time the man with the giant sword answered.

"From what I've heard, it should have two giant statues or something like statues of two men facing each with their hands forming seals as if they were fighting. There should also be a waterfall near it wherein the water flows in between the two statues."

"You should have said that earlier so that we should have at least had an idea of what we were looking for!! Sheesh you're so unbelievable!" The other woman shouted. The three immediately removed their radios to prevent their ears from taking any more damage. After the noise was gone, they place them back.

"Well… From your description…" The woman with the gentle voice replied.

"You got the wrong place?" The guy flying with his glider asked.

"Nope. I got it right! It matches the description perfectly." The woman answered back.

"That's great!"

"Good job!"

"About time!"

"I was already losing my patience!"

"At least we found it!"

"We wouldn't be in this mess if we just chose a rendezvous point we knew!"

"Well sorry!"

"Guys!!" The woman with the gentle voice shouted. They were all talking simultaneously that she couldn't understand a single word they were saying.

"What?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there a problem?"

"How am I suppose to give you the directions if you keep on talking…" She sighed.

"Ok. Got it."

"Shoot."

"I'm ready to listen."

The woman with the gentle voice was finally relieved to hear nothing but silence. It was proof that they were all ready to listen.

"Ok… Listen carefully."

**

* * *

**Tenten sat on a tree branch to catch her breath. She was nearly there. It was just a few hundred meters away. She brought out her second jug of water and hungrily drank the rest of the water left in it. She wiped her mouth and returned the bottle back to her bag. She decided to rest for a few more minutes just to catch her breath.

The closer she got to the Valley of the End the harder it was for her to restrain her excitement. She couldn't slow her breathing rate down and her heart was thumping really fast.

She let out a sigh as she looked up and was taken aback by how beautiful the stars were tonight. She has never seen so many stars in her life. It was as if they were already crowding up the sky.

"Wow… There are so many stars!" Tenten said in awe…

She then thought of something that made her smile.

"They're just like people, each one emitting a different kind of light depending on its color and intensity. Right now… Um… There!" Tenten poiinted at a star. "That one shines the most. It catches the attention of whoever sees it." Tenten paused. "I want to be that star. And someday… I will be just like it." Tenten told herself and smiled.

She stood up from the tree's branch. She's had plenty of rest. She was now ready to continue her journey up to the very end. She was determined to find out the truth. She then jumped off the branch and hurried to the Valley of the End.

She was traveling so fast now and she was smiling like an idiot. She could almost feel her heart pop out of her chest.

After a few minutes, she stopped. She crouched down with her hands on her knees as she gasped for air.

She looked straight ahead and smiled. She was here. She looked at the end of cliff and saw a part of the two stone statues. In the middle of both wasthe waterfall. This was it. The Valley of the End.

Tenten walked towards the end of the cliff. She slowly glanced down only to see the four strangers already looking at her.

"You're finally here…" The woman with a gentle voice said with a smile.

"It took you long enough though…" The other woman said.

"We thought you'd never come." The guy said as he played with his staff.

Tenten jumped down from the edge and landed on the bottom of the cliff. She looked at the four strangers seriously and said.

"I'm here. Now… I want you to tell me everything."

"As you wish…" The guy with the giant sword replied.


	7. Chapter 7

**Before going further ****PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING!**

The character designs I used are based from different characters from other animes and video games ok? Now why did I base them on other characters? So that you wouldn't be hard up in trying to imagine how the character looks like. And I want you guys to search the net on how they look like so that you would get a better idea and so that you would be able to imagine the story properly. If you won't, you're head will get scrambled from trying to understand what or how they look like. If you know the characters where I based my own characters from then you won't have any problem. So there! I warn you guys!

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! DATTEBAYO!**

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**Chapter Seven: The truth (part 1)**

The night was quiet and calm. The only things that could be heard were the rustling of the leaves and the cold breeze blowing. Tenten looked at the silhouettes of the four strangers.

"You can start by actually showing me your faces…" Tenten said.

The man with the huge sword raised his right hand and opened it, palm up.

The moment he had opened it, fire was on his hands. It looked as if he was just holding an ordinary ball only it had fire and it floated a few inches away from his hand.

At the very same time he had opened his hand, the four strangers were immediately surrounded by balls of fire. It looked as if there were ten torches floating in midair around them.

To say that Tenten was surprised was an understatement. She was utterly speechless. The sight of the four strangers before her eyes also didn't help her recover from her shock.

Tenten swallowed the lump building in her throat. She then shook her head to get rid of her trance.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"It is my blood limit. Just as we have explained the other night, our clan has the ability to control elements without using hand seals and chakra." The man with the huge sword replied.

"Well… Will I get to do that?" Tenten asked.

Excitement was written all over her face and she was smiling like an idiot. She looked like a little girl anxiously waiting for her mom to give her cookies.

"Only time will tell if you will…" The man with the large sword answered.

"Uh-huh…" Tenten paused as she glanced at each of them.

"Um, don't you guys know that it's rude not to introduce yourselves when you meet someone?"

"Oh! That's right! Where are our manners?" The woman with the kind voice replied as she held her right cheek with her right hand.

Tenten looked at the woman who just spoke and inspected her. She was a beautiful woman wearing a sort of traditional kimono outfit with a slit on the right side that went up a few centimeters till her mid thigh. It was in different shades of blue.

(AN: If you can't imagine, her outfit is kind of like Yuna's in Final Fantasy X)

She had a whip strapped to her right, exposed leg as well. Her hair was long and blackish-brown. It was tied in bun with loose strands that fell on the sides and front of her smiling face.

"My name is Mifuyu…" She told Tenten.

"Mifuyu?" Tenten paused. Where has she heard of that?

"Does your name, by any chance, mean 'Beautiful Winter'?" Tenten asked slightly unsure.

Mifuyu was taken aback.

"How did you know that?"

After all, not many knew of her name. It was quite rare. She didn't expect Tenten to know what her name meant.

"Oh! I read it in a book once." Tenten said as she smiled at Mifuyu. She liked her. She was nice and polite.

"Uhem…" Another woman coughed.

"Mifuyu, aren't you gonna at least introduce us as well?" The other man with the staff spoke.

"Oh! Right! Right! I'm sorry! I almost forgot…" Mifuyu said as she laughed.

"Tenten-sama…" She began but Tenten cut her off.

"Please, I would prefer it if you just called me Tenten." She said.

"Oh… Ok then… Tenten…" Mifuyu said as Tenten nodded. Mifuyu started to introduce the three other strangers one by one. She pointed at the other woman to her right.

"This is Griselda. I'm not sure if you know it but her name means 'stony or unbeatable heroine'."

"You didn't have to tell her my real name. I thought we would use our code names?" Griselda whined.

"Oh stop complaining! Yes we'd use our code names but we should at least introduce ourselves to our master using our real names!" Mifuyu argued.

Tenten watched the two argue. Her gaze then fell on the woman named 'Griselda'.

"_Stony and unbeatable heroine, ey?"_ She thought. She looked at her once again and observed her and the way she was dressed.

She had an irritated look on her face. Judging from the way she looked and dressed, she was one tough chick. She also had an exotic beauty. Mifuyu's beauty was elegant and refined but Griselda's was unique and extraordinary.

She was wearing an outfit that made her look like a huntress. Her hair was in a braid with two thick strands in front of her face – one on the left and another on the right. She had a bow and arrow with her and two weird looking daggers. Well, at least Tenten thought they were daggers.

(AN: The daggers look like Elektra's weapon in the movie "Elektra" played by Jennifer Garner I think… They look like three-pronged forks but the middle is thrice the length of the other 2 on the sides.)

She was dressed in all green with an occasional brown in some spots like her boots and her arm bands.

Tenten's attention then turned from Griselda to the person who tried to stop the two women from continuing their debate.

"Would you girls stop it? It's embarrassing. Our master's here." He paused to glance at Tenten. "Why don't you just continue the introduction Mifuyu?" A man with a staff finished.

Tenten looked at him and tried to scrutinize what he was wearing. He was an impressive looking guy in weird clothes holding a strange looking staff.

(AN: The staff he's holding is like the staff that helps "Aang of avatar: the last air bender" to fly and his clothes are identical to the traditional clothes of "Li Syaoran" of Cardcaptor Sakura when he's out to catch Clow cards only it should be yellow.)

"Tenten, this is Yue…" Mifuyu said.

"Yue?! Doesn't that mean…" Tenten said but she was cut off…

"The moon…" Yue finished for her.

"And lastly…" Mifuyu said as Tenten followed her hand which pointed at the man with the large sword.

"This is Lucas and his name means 'light'." Mifuyu happily said as she looked at Tenten waiting for whatever she had to say.

Tenten looked at Lucas. He was wearing clothes made of leather with occasional prints of fire.

(AN: His outfit is similar to Jin Kazama's hooded outfit in Tekken only it should be red with added fire accents)

He had black hair in spikes with red highlights. Plus, he had a huge sword behind his back.

(AN: The sword is like Cloud's sword of Final Fantasy 7 only it can't be divided further in to parts. It's just one sword in this story.)

"Why do you guys have such, how do I put this, unique names? And what's with the weird outfits? Do they mean anything?" Tenten asked. Curiosity and confusion was evident in her face.

"Well… Our names and outfits have the same purpose." Mifuyu answered.

"And what purpose is that?" Tenten asked again.

"They reveal what kind of element we control." Griselda answered.

Tenten mouthed an 'oh'.

"I see… Now I get it!" Tenten said with a smile on her face.

"So… Which element is being controlled by which heiress?" Yue asked Tenten with a smirk on his face.

"Hm… It's obvious that Lucas's element is fire because of his outfit, name and what he just did a few minutes a go." Tenten paused.

"As for Mifuyu… "Beautiful winter"… It's either water or air. But if I consider her outfit, I'd have to say water." Tenten said as she looked from Lucas to Mifuyu. She had hope in her eyes. She was waiting for Mifuyu to confirm or reject her speculation.

"That's right." Mifuyu said with a smile.

"Alright!" Tenten yelled as she clenched a first up in the air. She then turned her attention on the last two.

"Hm… Griselda… "Stony and unbeatable female"… Plus the outfit… I'd have to say you have something to do with the element 'wood' or 'stones' or the 'ground' or 'trees'?" Tenten said as she looked at Griselda.

"All of the above plus more. We call my element "Earth"…" Griselda said.

"Really? All of the things I've mentioned? What do you mean plus more?" Tenten asked with disbelief.

"You'll know that next time." Griselda answered. She smirked at the face that Tenten gave her.

"Why does it have to be next time when you can just tell me right now?" Tenten said with irritation.

"Now is not the right time. You will learn about our real abilities when you begin training. What you need to learn now is your past, as well as your clan's." Lucas explained.

"I thought you would answer all my questions?" Tenten asked irritated.

"Yes we will. But some other things should be discussed with you first. I told you. We'll tell you about our abilities when you're training." Lucas said firmly. He had his arms folded and his gaze fixed on Tenten.

Tenten wanted to have a 'stare down' with him but she brushed off the thought. It wasn't worth it.

Tenten made a clicking sound with her mouth and then turned her attention to Yue.

"Well… I guess that makes your element related to the wind or something like that." Tenten said.

"Yes. But I think it would be better if you called my element "Air" instead of "wind". It… sounds better." Yue said as he tilted his head and massaged the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Oh… Ok then." Tenten said with a shrug.

"Now that introductions are finished, what else do you want to know?" Lucas spoke.

"I thought you'd never ask." Tenten said with a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "I want to know about my clan and what happened to it. I want to know why I ended up in Konoha and I also want to know my parents and how you guys are connected to them." Tenten asked all at once.

"Whoa! Whoa! One at a time…" Griselda said sweat dropped.

"I'll begin with the history of our clan." Lucas began.

"Have you ever heard of the Ren'nigan?" He asked as he looked at Tenten.

"No. What is it?" Tenten asked him back.

"You mean Konoha doesn't mention it to its own shinobis, ey?" Yue said.

"Of the three great eye techniques, it is the most powerful." Griselda said.

"Eye techniques? You mean Byakugan and Sharingan? There's still another one?" Tenten asked in shock. How come she never heard of it?

"Yes. It has a ripple-like pattern. It's sort of like a bull's eye or a spiral but… Different at the same time…" Mifuyu said as she was deep in thought.

"And what does it do?" Tenten asked.

"They were said to be possessed by the "sage of the six paths"." Lucas said.

"The sage of the six paths?" Tenten repeated with a raised brow.

"He is the known founder of the whole ninja world. Our clan, together with the "sage of the six paths", joined their knowledge and skills and gave birth to ninjutsu itself." Lucas said.

"Doesn't he/she have a name? Why does he have to be called the "sage of six paths"?" Tenten asked.

"It's simply because he could do any type of ninjutsu. He did, after all, possess all six chakra affinities." Yue answered.

Tenten looked at four in disbelief. How the hell could she be a part of something this big? All her life she's accepted the belief that she was nothing but an ordinary kunoichi – nothing special. Then all of this happens. It was too much.

Lucas ignored Tenten's shocked facade and continued.

"The Ren'nigan was called a tool of heaven itself. A tool of God that would bring salvation when the world was in chaos… Or a weapon that would destroy all creation and return everything to dust…"

"Is this a joke? Because if it is it's not funny…" Tenten said while she looked at Lucas with disbelief.

"Come on! When are you gonna start to trust us?" Griselda said irritated.

"Why would we make up such a thing?" Mifuyu asked.

"Well, since the things you guys are making me believe are like…" Tenten paused as she looked for the right words. "Like things that I would only encounter in fairy tales or myths… You know? Folklore?" Tenten finished.

"Whether you believe us or not, it is up to you. We will only tell you the truth and the truth only for you are our heiress, and that is what you desire." Lucas paused as he gazed at Tenten straight in the eyes. "You have the right to know everything."

Tenten looked at Lucas's serious expression and sighed.

"Ok. Ok. I believe you…" Tenten paused to close her eyes momentarily. She took a moment to calm herself. "So, where does our clan enter? It seems to me like this Ren'nigan clan is the only one getting all the spot light." Tenten exclaimed.

"First of all, the Ren'nigan is not possessed by a clan. Only one person obtained that kind of power, "the sage of the six paths". Second of all, our clan ran along side the "sage of the six paths". However, our clan wasn't as popular as he was. He was their face. In other words, he was for show. Our clan was the real workers…" Lucas said.

"You mean to say, he got all the glory and we got nothing…?" Tenten said.

"Not necessarily…" Mifuyu said.

"The reason why our clan was 'never heard off' was simply because they didn't wish to be revealed… They didn't want other people to know of their existence." Griselda said.

"And why didn't they want anyone to know about them?" Tenten asked.

"It would be easier to work without worrying about attackers…" Yue replied.

"What is this work you're talking about?" Tenten asked with creased eye brows. Everything was so confusing.

"I'm glad you asked. Our clan's work… Was to formulate techniques for the "sage of the six paths" to imitate. Thus, he was able to give birth to ninjutsu." Lucas answered.

"What?! And our clan just let that happen? Why?" Tenten yelled with wide eyes that showed disbelief.

"The sage of the six paths was a good friend of our clan. Both were practically inseparable." Griselda said.

"So? I still think that wasn't a good enough reason." Tenten continued to argue.

"Our clan trusted the "sage of the six paths" so much that they never anticipated what happened next." Mifuyu said sadly. After Mifuyu spoke, the rest of the three had poignant expressions on their faces.

Tenten glanced at each of them.

"What? What happened next?"

"The sage of the six paths was feared by many people. And most of those who feared him vowed to kill him. In order for him to live a life of peace, he exposed our clan and all its secrets. He told everyone how we should be the real ones to be feared!" Lucas said with such anger and rage. "In the end, "the sage of the six paths" only used our clan to become stronger. When he got what he wanted, he and all those other fools, who feared our existence was a threat to theirs, killed every single member of our clan."

Tenten flinched a little not only because of Lucas's frightening tone and demeanor but also because the fire he had created for the purpose of 'light' changed drastically. It was gradually getting bigger and the heat was starting to become unbearable.

"Relax Lucas…" Yue said.

"Yeah… You wouldn't wanna fry us now, would ya?" Griselda said.

"That was horrible…" Tenten said. The four looked at her as she continued to speak.

"Our clan was wiped out. They helped him and he stabs their backs!" Tenten clenched her fists as she bowed her head down. Her eyes were closed shut.

"You'll soon come to realize that there are people in this world who are too horrible for even words to describe." Mifuyu gave Tenten a sad, yet sympathetic look.

"But then…" Tenten paused as she glanced at the four. "If he wiped out our entire clan, why are you four still here?" She paused once more as she raised a hand to her heart "Why am I still here?"

"Which will now bring us to the two other questions you've asked… How did you ended up in Konoha? And who are your parents and how we are connected to them?" Lucas said.

"Ok… I'm ready to listen." Tenten said.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! I'm back and here's chapter 8! Hm… Well… I want to ask you guys if you still want me to write EVERY SINGLE DETAIL OF TENTEN'S TRAINING or would I just GIVE FLASHBACKS EVERY NOW AND THEN IN STORIES TO EXPLAIN A CERTAIN MOVE? I would go for the second but I still want to know what you think. Because if I write about Tenten's training then you guys might get bored!

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

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**Chapter Eight: The truth (part 2)**

"We told you already that the sage of the six paths revealed our clan's identity, right?" Yue asked.

"Yes…" Tenten answered.

"Well… We haven't told you that our clan was oblivious of the sage of the six paths' plan." Yue said.

"Well… That's kinda obvious, isn't it?" Tenten stated incredulously. Griselda laughed at Tenten's reply to Yue which earned her a glare from him.

"W-What I meant was how the sage of the six paths managed to eradicate out clan!" Yue corrected.

"That wasn't what you meant…" Tenten whispered to herself.

"One night, on a solar eclipse, the people of different villages attacked our clan. You may not know this but during a solar eclipse, fire benders lose their powers the same way water benders lose theirs during lunar eclipses." Yue said.

"Oh… So you mean that that's the weakness of water and fire benders? Eclipses?" Tenten asked.

"Yes. Water benders draw out their power from the moon. That's why during full moons our powers are at their peek." Mifuyu answered.

"Well then, how come you were name Yue, Yue? I mean aren't you an air bender? So what's with the name?" Tenten asked.

"My mother was a water bender and my father was an air bender. My mom named me "Yue" in honor of where water benders draw their powers from – the moon." Yue answered.

"Ah… So why did you become an air bender?" Tenten asked.

"I never really liked water. Being an air bender allows me to be free. I love the feeling I get when I fly. It's a wonderful experience. I feel as if I'm just like a bird." Yue answered as he looked up in the sky.

"Whoah!? You can fly?" Tenten asked with disbelief.

"Yes. I can. Most especially when I have this." Yue said as he held up his staff.

"What's that? A staff?" Tenten asked.

"It's a staff. But when I do this…" Yue paused as he opened his staff to reveal a glider. "It becomes a glider. It helps me fly up in the air smoothly."

"Ok ok ok! Hold up! How the heck did you open that? Is there some kind of button there?" Tenten asked as she inspected the staff. Being the weapons mistress of Konoha, she was obviously crazy about weapons especially unique and one of a kind ones. She has never seen anything like it and she tried to figure out how the heck Yue opened it.

"You can look at it all day but you'll never figure out how to open or close it." Yue amusingly said as he watched Tenten inspected the staff intently.

"Ok then. Fine. How did you open it then?" Tenten asked as she handed him back the staff. She really wanted to know how.

"Air bending…" Yue answered. "You send a sudden gush of air in certain parts of the staff to open it. To close it, you change the air pressure in specific parts of the staff as well." The staff then closed after Yue spoke.

"Really? Can I do it? Wait! Let me try…" Tenten said as she tried to open the staff.

"I believe you won't be able to do anything for now." Lucas suddenly said.

"Why not? I AM your so-called heiress, right? I can probably do something as simple as this!" Tenten said as she tried to focus her attention. No matter what she did, the staff wasn't closing. It didn't even twitch.

"Hey! How come I can't bend?" Tenten asked annoyingly. "Most blood limits can be activated without proper training!"

"The reason why will be explained to you later." Lucas said. He was about to continue but Tenten cut him off.

"Why does everything have to be explained later? I want to know now!" Tenten demanded.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, you will know it later…" Tenten was about to cut Lucas off again but this time he didn't let her. "BECAUSE… We need to answer your two other questions first."

"Oh…" Tenten said. She was a little bit embarrassed. "Sorry…"

"They attacked during a solar eclipse thus rendering the power of us fire benders useless. It was up to the water, air and earth benders to defend our clan and our village." Lucas said.

"There were hundreds of ninjas that attacked. One of which was the sage of the six paths." Mifuyu said.

"You mean he was in the ambushing party as well?! He just couldn't be contented, could he?! People like him should be dismembered!" Tenten yelled incredulously.

"I couldn't have said it better…" Griselda said with a smirk on her face.

"He wanted to make sure that our clan wouldn't have any survivors. Unfortunately, there were 2 people who survived." Yue said.

"And who were those two?" Tenten asked.

"The leader and founder of our clan, Tokiya-sama, together with his wife, Yanagi-sama… The two of them were the only survivors during that ambush. They vowed to get revenge on the sage of the six paths and all of the villages that brought our clan to its grave." Mifuyu said.

"Wow. So it was just two against the bastard sage and all the shinobis of different countries… Inspiring." Tenten said sarcastically. What did the two of them do?"

"Before anything else, of course, they wanted to rebuild our clan. Fighting numerous villages and the sage of the six paths with only the two of them would obviously be suicidal." Lucas said.

"Okay… So they had sex, made babies and then what happened?" Tenten asked impatiently.

"Well… If you put it that way…" Yue said with a sweat drop on his head.

"Uhem…" Griselda uneasy cleared her throat. "As time passed by, Tokiya-sama and Yanagi-sama's thoughts of revenge slowly faded away. They were happy to see all of their children, their children's children and their great grand kids happy and peaceful. As much as they wanted revenge, they didn't want the rest of the members of their family to be the ones to suffer." Griselda finished.

"In the end they gave up revenge, huh? Well… After all, time heals all wounds, as they say…" Tenten paused. "But if I were in their place, I never would have been contented unless I had that bastard of a sage groveling at my feet." Tenten concluded with a fiery look in her eyes.

"I agree…" Griselda nodded.

"All would have been perfect but the sage of the six paths was able to know of their existence." Yue said.

"That idiot again!?" Tenten said with annoyance.

"He planned another ambush on the remnants of our clan. This time, they attacked during a lunar eclipse. They used fire attacks mainly and burned the small village that Tokiya-sama, our founder, worked so hard to make. His Ren'nigan grew very powerful then. It was nearly irrepressible." Mifuyu said.

"But at that moment, Tokiya-sama's rage over the past years was rekindled. He went into what we call the "Avatar state"…" Lucas said.

"Avatar state? What's that?" Mifuyu asked.

"It's a state wherein all of the elements' powers are at its fullest. No matter what eclipse was happening, all the elements could be used optimally. It was also known as "The End" for no one outside our clan who saw it would live another day to tell stories about it." Lucas said.

"Unfortunately, Tokiya-sama was already too weak. His age had taken a toll on his once invincible powers. So, in the end, our rebuilt clan fell once more." Griselda concluded.

Tenten clenched her fists at the cruel fate of her clan. "It's too cruel." She didn't know why but she felt tears form in her eyes – tears that her pride did not allow her to liberate.

"That's just how life is… Once you get complacent, it proves you wrong." Lucas replied.

"Can any of you do it?" Tenten inquired as she glanced at each of them. "You know… That "Avatar state"? "The End?"

"No. None of us can. The four of us belong to the branch family. Only you, of the main family, can." Yue said.

"What?!" Tenten said in shock. "I-I'm of the main family?"

"You see, after the war, only 6 people were able to survive. Those are the four of us, your grandmother, Asuka-sama, and your mother, Nadeshiko-sama." Lucas said.

"WHAT! Are you serious?" Tenten asked with wide eyes. "But, how could you guys have lived that long?! Correct me if I'm wrong but, didn't our clan exist a couple of hundred years ago?" Tenten paused at the sudden realization of something. "Even I'm not supposed to be alive as well!"

To say that Tenten was freaked out was too much of an understatement. "But looking at you guys, you only look like you're in your 20's or 30's! How…?"

"That's because of what your grandmother did to us." Griselda said. "We owe our life to her. That's why; we now live to serve only you."

"I still don't get it!" Tenten massaged her temples. What did my grandmother do to make you guys… Like this? And what about my mother? What happened to her?"

"After the war, the sage of the six paths was killed by our leader, Tokiya-sama. But there were too many ninjas left to fight. None of us would have been able to resist them all. So, in the cost of his very own life, our leader, Tokiya-sama, used all of his chakra, together with his life energy, to eliminate every single ninja who tried to erase our clan's existence. He was such a noble and honorable shinobi. We would never forget his sacrifice." Lucas had his head down and his fists clenched.

"After the war, our village was filled with hundreds of dead bodies…" Yue continued.

"Wow… He must be a really powerful person if he killed the bastard (sage of the six paths) and all of those other shinobis…" Tenten was flabbergasted.

"Then, the fight ended. However, the 6 of us, the survivors, were already at the brink of death. If it weren't for your grandmother, we wouldn't be here anymore." Mifuyu said.

"What? What is this that she did? Tell me." Tenten demanded.

"She used a forbidden jutsu to send the 5 of us to another… dimension…" Yue said.

"Another dimension?" Tenten asked. Her eyes showed confusion and disbelief.

"At least that's what we think it was… That technique was made by your grandmother. It was a forbidden jutsu because whoever used it would have to give up their soul in order for it to work." Griselda said.

"What?! And what was this forbidden jutsu suppose to do?" Tenten asked.

"It sent us to another time. We were in this weird dimension. You couldn't see anything but black. Slowly, all of our wounds were being healed; however, we couldn't see where the others were." Mifuyu said.

"In short, we were all separated." Griselda finished.

"So if you were separated, how did you all find each other?" Tenten asked.

"I guess you could blame fate on how the four of us met. We fell down in different places and different times but the gaps for our separations weren't far. That happened about 25 years ago. It really was a miracle that we still managed to find each other." Mifuyu said.

"And how old are you guys now?" Tenten asked.

"I'm 34, Griselda is 33, Yue is 35 and Lucas is 36…" Mifuyu said,

"So you were still kids when the war happened?" Tenten said in slight surprise.

"Well… Yes…" Mifuyu answered.

"And how about my mother?" Tenten asked softly.

"We found her on a village. You see, all four of us decided to become wanderers – each looking for the others. I guess it wasn't coincidence but FATE when all four of us met in a village where your mother was." Yue said.

Tenten was slightly becoming nauseous because of the overuse of FATE. She wasn't in the mood to be reminded of a certain blind fool.

Tenten shook her thoughts away.

"How did my mother look like when you found her?"

"She was already 18 by that time…" Yue answered.

"I see… So what happened after you found her?"

"We convinced her that we were the people she was with during the ambush and that we were of the same clan. We convinced her by showing her our clan abilities – our bending. After she was convinced, the 5 of us traveled and wandered around." Griselda replied.

"Since we were still young, the techniques and bending we could do were only up to a certain level. To get stronger, we decided to challenge all sorts of people wherever we went." Mifuyu added.

"We copied their ninjutsus. After all, we had every right to do so. Our clan formulated them all after all." Yue continued.

"However, during that time, no one already knew of our clan's existence. All that the people knew of was the sage of the six paths. He had successfully erased proof of our clan and every single member of it from ever existing in this world." Lucas paused. He was a little calmer but even with his eyes closed; Tenten could sense the pain in his voice. "A lot of anecdotes and tales were told about him. But now, no one is sure whether he really existed or not. But we tell you this: He is real and so is our clan." Lucas concluded.

"Ok… I'm starting to understand. Now, how heck did I enter the picture?" Tenten inquired further.

"Well… You see… When we saw your mother, she was already pregnant." Yue said a little unsure.

"What the hell?!" Tenten screamed. She could not believe her ears. "Pregnant at such a young age?!" Tenten tried to calm herself. "Why the hell did she travel if she was pregnant? You said you challenged people and copied their techniques. You guys were pretty stupid to let her come along. It was dangerous!" Tenten said.

"Well, she was as stubborn as you are! There was nothing we could do." Griselda said in defense.

"Besides we had no choice but to follow her orders. She was of the main family after all." Lucas added.

"Yeah! Plus she gets really violent when she doesn't get what she wants! You have no idea…" Yue paused as he turned pale.

"Alright. Alright. I get it." Tenten raised her hands in defeat. "So, where is she now? What happened to her?" Tenten asked further. She was also about to ask who her father was but she stopped when she heard the next statement.

"She died giving birth to you …" Griselda said.

Tenten was shocked. No, she was mortified!

"She lost a lot of blood. When she was pregnant, she already knew she would die if she continued to have you. She had this sickness. It was called hemophilia, a disease that meant the carrier lacked certain clotting factors. Whenever she got cut, it would take so long before it would heal. It was a good thing Mifuyu was there to heal her whenever she got hurt." Yue paused to tilt his head towards Mifuyu's direction. "However, during her labor, she was already having internal bleeding and no matter what Mifuyu did, she couldn't stop it. We were still young back then and we still didn't know how to control our powers that well… So…" Yue couldn't bring himself to say it

Tenten was looking at the floor sadly.

"Before your mother died, she told us that your name would be "Tenten" for it meant "heaven". Your mother was always wondering how heaven looked like. So we weren't surprised when she decided to give you that name… Tenten…" Lucas said.

"I see…" Tenten said. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes.

"You don't have to be sad. You're mother chose your life over hers. That shows how much she loved you." Mifuyu said.

"And my dad? Did I kill him to?" Tenten mocked.

"Tenten…"Mifuyu sadly said.

"No. You weren't the one who killed him. The first Hokage of Konoha killed him right at this very place – the Valley of the End. Do you know who I mean?" Griselda looked at Tenten meaningfully.

Tenten wiped her tears and said, "No… I absolutely have no idea who you're talking about…"

"Your father… Is the founder of the Uchiha clan…" Yue paused to glance at Tenten's reaction. Her eyes were as wide as they could get.

"Uchiha… Madara… was his name." Lucas added.

Tenten's lips quivered a bit as she whispered his name. "Uchiha… Madara…"


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! I'm back! Hehehe… Anyway… If you hate my story feel free to tell me but also tell me which part you hate ok? So that I know what to do next time… Just voice out your ideas in the reviews… I'm going to take them all constructively. Just DON'T BE SUPER HARSH OK!?

So here's chapter nine...

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**Chapter Nine: The truth (part 3)**

"Yes..." Lucas said.

"What?!" Tenten's eyes were still wide. "You mean… I'm an Uchiha?!" Tenten wanted to scream but she was still in too much shock. "And I thought Neji's life was messed up…"

"Who's Neji?" Mifuyu asked.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Griselda asked with a smirk.

"No! He's my teammate!" Tenten said as she tried to suppress her blush.

"Really? Then why are you as red as a tomato?" Yue teased.

"Ah… Young Love!" Mifuyu said as her eyes lit up.

"Oh just shut up!" Tenten yelled in defense. _"This is so damn embarrassing!"_

Lucas interrupted by clearing his throat.

"Oh… Sorry…" Mifuyu said.

"Just who is this Uchiha Madara exactly?" Tenten asked seriously ignoring the teasing looks she received from the other three element masters.

"You seriously don't know who he is?" Yue asked wide eyed.

"You know… I wouldn't be asking if I knew…" Tenten sarcastically replied which caused Griselda to laugh out loud.

"Yeah Yue… She has a point!" Griselda said in between laughs which earned her a glare from the wind expert.

Lucas cleared his throat once more to shut the two up.

"Uchiha Madara, as I've said, is the founder of the Uchiha clan. That's him right there." Lucas pointed towards one of two giant statues located on each side of the huge waterfall.

Tenten looked at him intently. He had one of his hands forming a seal and his other was holding a sword. He had long and spiky hair and his face should no mercy. Tenten tore her gaze away from the statue and back to the four.

"Ok… So that's supposed to be my dad…? Tenten asked as she pointed at the statue.

All four nodded.

"What else should I know?" Tenten crossed her arms braising herself for whatever she was going to hear next.

"Do you know of the attack of the "Nine-Tailed Demon Fox" on Konoha about 13 years ago?" Yue asked.

"Of course… Who wouldn't know about that? I was about one year old when that happened. Why do you ask?" Tenten raised a perfectly arched eye brow.

"Well… Simply because the attack of the nine-tailed demon fox on the village of Konoha was intended." Griselda said in a standoffish manner.

"Elaborate." Tenten demanded. Her eye brows were now creased.

"People say that the attack of the nine-tailed demon fox on Konoha was merely a disaster, an act of God – some form of divine retribution. But we doubt that…" Lucas said.

"And why may I ask?" Tenten inquired once more.

"That's because we believe, for sure, that it was summoned…" Yue replied.

"That can't be true. The nine-tailed fox has been around for ages, appearing when the evil deeds of mankind reached a certain peak. There's no way that anyone in the universe could actually summon something like that!" Tenten argued. It was purely impossible that something as powerful as the nine-tailed fox could be summoned. It was just unheard of!

"No…" Mifuyu disagreed.

"Excuse me?" Tenten asked.

"There was one person…" Griselda said as she clenched her fists. Her eyes were burning with hatred.

"Who then?" Tenten challenged.

"The founder of the Uchiha clan, your father, Uchiha Madara…" Lucas said as he looked at Madara's statue.

"That's impossible…" Tenten whispered in disbelief. Her eyes fell on the statue as well.

"That's what most people say as well. After all, Uchiha Madara was one of the founding fathers of the Leaf Village. He couldn't have been alive 15 or 16 years ago." Griselda said.

"Wa-Wait a minute!" Tenten motioned for the four of them to stop. "ONE of the founding fathers?! Couldn't have been alive 15 or 16 years ago!?" Tenten's eyes were ready to pop out their sockets. "Then how the hell did he become my father?! A preserved sperm of his?! In vitro fertilization?! Am I a lab baby?! Was I implanted in my mothers womb?!" Tenten said. She looked practically insane.

All four element masters sweat dropped.

"W-We know it seems impossible… But it's the truth." Yue assured as he raised his hands up in the air in defeat.

Tenten wanted to drop to the floor but she prevented herself from doing so. She needed to be strong. She needed to know more.

"So how then?! How on Earth was a man who lived centuries ago my father?!"

"To tell you honestly, we don't know. We never really met your father. Nadeshiko, your mother, just said that the name of her lover was "Uchiha Madara". We did some researches and background checks on him but we only found out very few facts about him. Most of his records were erased…" Mifuyu said.

"So, then, that means there's really no proof that he is my father right?" Tenten gave them slightly desperate looks. "After all, if I really were an Uchiha, then my Sharingan would have appeared by now. But I don't have it! So he can't possibly be my father!" Tenten said with relief but her relief was short lived.

Tenten's anxiety was back when she saw the four of them look at each other meaningfully. "What? Why are you guys looking at each other?"

"I know we should tell her during training but I think she needs to know now." Mifuyu told Lucas.

Lucas closed his eyes. He was thinking. All eyes were on him. Soon, he opened them.

"Very well then…"

The other three nodded.

"Tenten… Do you know why you can't do any bending?" Yue asked.

"No… Obviously not… Why do you keep asking me if I know if it's quite clear that you know that I don't know what you know?" Tenten said in a breath.

"Yeah Yue! Why do you keep doing that?" Griselda said in between her laughs.

"Shut up Griselda." Yue warned as he glared at her.

"Well… You see, our clan's blood limit appears the moment a child is born." Mifuyu said.

"Okay… So how come I can't bend?" Tenten asked. She just wanted them to spit it out instead of asking her questions and delaying their answers.

Yue sighed.

"Simply put… The four of us gave you a seal."

"A seal?" Tenten asked. Her eyes were narrowed.

"Yes, a seal." Griselda added. Soon there was silence.

"Uh… Are you guys just gonna leave it like that or are you gonna elaborate?" Tenten asked. She really hated it when she was left hanging…

"This seal that we gave you is called a "Dragon Seal"." Lucas said.

"Dragon Seal?" Tenten asked.

"The four of us performed it on you a week after you were born." Mifuyu said.

"So what does this so-called "Dragon Seal" do or should I say, seal?" Tenten inquired once again.

"Anyone given this seal will never be able to use their blood limits…" Lucas began but then Tenten cut him off AGAIN.

"WHAT!? You mean I won't be able to use my blood limits?! So what's the point in all of this? You should have told me from the very beginning!" Tenten yelled.

"I'm not yet finished. For once, could you let me finish what I'm saying before you react? You're just like your mother." Lucas scolded.

"Really? I am? Uh… I mean… Sorry, please continue." Tenten was yet again embarrassed.

"As I've said anyone with the Dragon Seal won't be able to use their blood limit BUT, they will again be able to once the seal is removed." Lucas said.

"Okay, and how will the seal be removed?" Tenten asked.

"Only the people who placed it on you can remove it." Griselda answered.

"So you're pretty lucky that we're still alive." Yue said smugly.

"The reason why we place that seal on you was because your powers were too strong. When you were just about a month old you were already able to control the elements subconsciously. You played with the milk in your bottle and made images with it. You even burned Yue's clothes when you sneezed…" Mifuyu said.

"Oh! I remember that!" Griselda said as she laughed out loud.

"Put a sock in it!" Yue said as he glared at Griselda.

"Just think of what people would do to you if they found out about you." Mifuyu said.

"Okay… But now that you mention that, you still haven't answered one of my questions before." Tenten said. "How did I end up in Konoha?"

"As Mifuyu has said, your powers were too strong and you kept on using them whenever you felt like. Your display of your abilities was spotted by a shinobi from the hidden sound village…" Griselda said.

"We tried to stop him but he escaped." Yue said.

"Really? Then what happened?" Tenten asked.

"One night, we received a surprise attack. Five shinobis from the hidden sound attacked and tried to kidnap you. One of those five was the one who saw your abilities. They said that a guy named "Orochimaru" ordered them to." Yue answered.

"Orochimaru?! I got involved with him when I was a kid?!" Tenten said in disbelief. Everything she was hearing crossed the boundaries of what was believable, at least in her opinion.

"The shinobis from the hidden sound village were tough. We were able to trick them and we escaped." Mifuyu said.

"Why would you guys run away if you had such amazing powers?" Tenten asked perplexed.

"That's the point. NO ONE is allowed to know of our abilities. You know very well what could happen if they did. That's why there was nothing we could do but run." Lucas answered.

"I understand… So then what happened next?" Tenten asked softly. _"It must have been hard having such great powers but not being able to use them… Especially to protect the people you care for… Or even yourself…"_

"We ran for days. We managed to get quite far from them, but not for long. While they lagged behind a considerable distance, we located a cave and rested for a while. Then we all decided to give you the Dragon Seal. It was the only way that we could protect you from people who would want to use you to get stronger or the people who would want to kill you because of envy or fear." Griselda said.

"So when I was a month old I already had the dragon seal am I right?" Tenten cleared.

"Yes." Mifuyu said.

"So how come I've never seen any seals on my body?" Tenten asked.

"That's because we hid it well. You don't expect us to give you a seal that screams 'Hey! I'm a seal! Release me!'." Yue teased as he gave Tenten a triumphant look.

Tenten eye twitched. _"He got back at me." _

"Yue's right. What's the point of giving you a seal for others to see? That would only raise suspicion…" Lucas added.

"Ok! Ok! I get it… Then what happened?" Tenten asked still a little embarrassed.

"We continued our journey. It wasn't long before the 5 shinobis of the hidden sound caught up to us." Yue continued.

"We had to get you somewhere safe – to a place where you would be loved and protected… At that moment, Konoha was our only choice. We've crossed the fire country's boundary at that time and we were near Konoha. The sound ninjas had stopped following us because Konoha was one of their country's strongest enemies. Going near their home base would have been suicidal for them." Griselda paused. "However, they did leave a threat before they stopped their pursuit. They promised that they'd be back to take you to their Lord. Hiding was impossible and running was pointless, for you would be their Lord's possession in a matter of time." Griselda finished.

"Orochimaru…" Tenten cringed. "Just saying his name makes me nauseous."

"So you see? We had no choice but to leave you in Konoha. Your safety was all that mattered. That was the only way we knew how. We knew that those five would follow us wherever we go from then on and that they would never stop until they found you. So we led them away from Konoha." Griselda justified.

"When the time was right, we took care of those five and made sure they were dead so that they wouldn't leak out any information about the four of us and about you." Lucas added.

"We're not sure but their Lord might already know of our clan and our abilities. There's a possibility…" Yue said.

"That's why you have the Dragon Seal and that's how you ended up in Konoha." Mifuyu concluded.

"If you want to know why we didn't come back for you, it was because we were assured that you would have a happy and peaceful life in Konoha. Being out in the open with us nomads would only increase the risk of the exposure of you abilities. Also, we figured that it was about time we learned ninjutsu." Lucas paused. "Even if it was created by that insolent fool, we had no choice. If we didn't want anyone to know of our clan and its abilities and if we wanted to defend ourselves, we NEEDED to use ninjutsu. We couldn't keep on killing all of the people we fought to prevent the leakage of information about our abilities. So we decided to leave you there and come back for you once we've truly mastered every single jutsu there was that is related to our element." Lucas finished.

Tenten could only nod.

"Is there anything else you want to know about?" Mifuyu asked.

Tenten simply shook her head. She was speechless.

"As for the details of our abilities, you will learn them all once we've reached the Avatar temple…" Lucas said.

"Avatar temple?" Tenten asked.

"It's an old temple that belonged to our clan. It's old, but we've been maintaining it for the past years. That's where your training will begin." Lucas paused as he glanced at the sky to check the time. "Our time of departure is here."

"You mean we won't be training here?" Tenten asked.

"Are you crazy? This is a famous battle field. Who knows what kind of people come here? What if they saw us training? All our efforts in trying to conceal our clan would have been useless…" Yue said.

"Alright! Alright! Don't get your boxers in a bunch." Tenten teased.

Yue's fair complexion turned reddish.

Griselda was laughing so hard she almost fell into the water.

Lucas cleared his throat to get order back in place.

"We're leaving."

Tenten looked at the sky and saw that the darkness was slowly being consumed by the light. The sun was coming up soon. Dawn was breaking.

Tenten couldn't believe that they had spent the whole night talking about her past. She was a very much happy though that her past was finally cleared out of its initial mystery. All her life, all she knew of her past was that she was an orphan, found on the gates of Konoha with a note that had her name on it. It was enlightening to know she did have a family who loved her and that she did belong to something. Though her mother died giving birth to her, she was happy to know that she had a mother who loved her so dearly that she chose her life instead of her own. And although the truth about her father was still shrouded by mystery, she was still happy to have at least learned his name.

Tenten felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Mifuyu asked ever so gently.

"More than I'll ever be…" Tenten smiled sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.

"Let's go…"' Lucas commanded.

In a split second they were all out of the Valley of the End and on to the place called "The Avatar temple".

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The end! Hahaha… Whoooh! It's quite tiring to write two chapters in one day but I really love it!

Anyway,** THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE CHAPTER WHEREIN KONOHA WILL KNOW THAT TENTEN HAS LEFT! ALSO, TEAM GAI WILL DISCOVER TENTEN'S LETTERS AS WELL! **I hope you read the next chapter!! Love you all for reading! MWAH!


	10. Chapter 10

**I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I'VE UPDATED 10 CHAPTERS IN LESS THAN A MONTH!**

Hehehe! I was inspired I guess… Well… I just want to tell you guys that the story will get better and better… After Tenten's training, she will go back to Konoha! What's gonna happen?! How's Lee, Gai-sensei and Neji gonna react?! Hehehe! That was just a preview!

**Just keep on reading to find out oh and leave a review while you're at it**!

I've already finished chapters 11 and 12 but hey! I just love cliffies!

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**Chapter 10: Realization (part 1)**

Lee woke up with a splitting head ache. He yanked his eyes open but immediately closed them shut when he was blinded by the light. After a few more seconds, he opened them carefully, patiently waiting for them to adjust to the brightness of day.

Lee slowly tried to recall what happen to him last night. His eyes darted themselves to the floor. There he saw the vase that was once sitting peacefully on the desk beside his bed but was now smashed into pieces on the floor. He then remembered that it was he who had done such a thing.

"_You are going to stop and I mean that now!"_

_CRASH!_

Lee clutched his head. He remembered everything clearly up until the very end. He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of his headache but his actions only made it worse. With a cry of pain he slowly tried to get out of bed. He wanted to look for Tenten so that his worries would finally be put to rest.

Just as he was about to stand up, a hand grabbed him on the shoulder and stopped him from moving any further.

"Lee? What do you think you're doing? You're not trying to do any training now, are you?"

Lee looked up to see Sakura. She had a threatening expression on her face. She usually came around during lunch or dinner because she promised him that she would cook for him until he got better under the condition that he wouldn't train while he was still recovering.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here this early?" Lee asked as he tried to make out a clear view of Sakura and her surroundings.

"Silly! I'm here to give you your lunch of course!" Sakura said as she giggled slightly.

"LUNCH!?" Lee yelled as his eyes grew big. He searched for the clock to check. He was then shocked to see that it was now 12:45 in the afternoon!

"Yes Lee! It's lunch time now. Why? Did you think that it was still early in the morning?" Sakura asked amused.

"Ah… No! No!" Lee said as he scratched his head. He blushed slightly because of his embarrassment. He couldn't believe he woke up that late. He never did. He knew he woke up really late at times but this never happened to him before.

"Ok… So get back into bed! You need to rest some more if you want to recover faster. Now get back in bed, Lee." Sakura ordered.

"Oh… Okay Sakura-chan…" Lee said embarrassed. He brought his feet back to the bed and covered himself with the blanket. He was so engrossed with Sakura that he had completely forgotten about his worries for Tenten the previous night.

"I hope you like what I made for you today Lee!" Sakura said sweetly.

"As long as you made it, I will eat it! I'm sure your cooking is as wonderful and as delicious as ever! It brings me closer to heaven! My youth shall be enflamed with just one bite of it! It will rekindle my youthful spirit and I will live on a happy and fulfilled man! I will-" Lee was about to continue his rant about Sakura's cooking and youth but Sakura cut him off.

"Ok! Ok! I get it Lee…" Sakura said as she sweat dropped. Sometimes she thinks that Lee's injury was just a fake. _"I mean just look at the guy! He's so full of energy! He even looks livelier than me!"_

"I just really want you to know how much I appreciate all of this Sakura-chan… With this I can die happy…" Lee said as he looked far away with tears streaming down his face. His hand formed a fist and was raised up in the air. Then, the background suddenly changed into a beach with the setting sun.

Sakura could only look at the self-proclaimed beautiful green beast of Konoha oddly.

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"NO!"

A loud growl could be heard from a clearing in one of Konoha's training areas followed by loud crashing sounds. Luckily for the person training, no one was near enough to hear his angered shouts and growls.

Neji hit one of the trees again with his juken. The tree fell causing another loud crash to be heard. He was not at all pleased. Usually, people would see him training calmly and always wearing an expressionless face. However, today, the Hyuga prodigy was not at all calm nor were his facial expressions near expressionless. He was filled with anger and irritation. His eye brows were scrunched up and his lips formed a scowl. The cause of his tantrum: Tenten. It wasn't exactly the weapons mistress herself but instead the process of how the Hyuga prodigy was going to get back her favor towards him.

No matter what he thought of doing or saying, nothing seemed to be right. Something was missing but he didn't know what.

Neji paused from his mass murdering of photosynthetic objects to focus on the real, main issue – formulating his apology.

Neji sighed. He was going to try again. He slowly walked up to a tree of his choice and pretended it was Tenten. He began to talk but it wasn't long before he stopped for his stuttering after every few words irked him to no end.

Neji cursed. He couldn't believe he was stuttering! Not to mention that he was just practicing this – looking for the right words to say. What more could happen when he was actually going to say sorry to Tenten in her face?

"How the hell is this so difficult?!" Neji growled in frustration. He couldn't even train properly because of all of this. Perhaps meditating under a tree would help him forget about his worries and hopefully regain his calm.

Neji sat down and began to meditate. He cleared his thoughts of any anxieties, concerns and other worldly matters. He simply concentrated on his breathing. He slowly let go of everything around him as he began to recite a mantra. He slowly felt everything wash and fade away. He was slowly becoming one with the universe. All else was slowly forgotten as he relaxed his mind, body and spirit. He maintained that position for a few more minutes until his right eye finally twitched.

This WASN'T helping him at all. In fact, it only made matters worse.

Staying stationary made his mind wander off even more. He dreaded every second that passed by as he meditated and that never happened before. He just couldn't bring himself to focus like he used to.

Neji stood up angrily. Maybe meditating was not a wise choice.

Neji made his way to another tree as he cleared his throat. The only thing that bugged his mind right now what that apology he was going to tell Tenten.

Neji breathed in and out slowly to regain his calm. Now saying sorry was all about being sincere and honest right? That didn't seem like a very hard thing to do. He could DO sincere and honest.

Neji nodded and he began his practice once more.

"Tenten, we need to talk." Neji paused as he imagined the scene. He and Tenten would go to somewhere private to talk. "What I told you the other day in the hospital…" Neji paused once more as a bead of sweat trailed from his forehead to his chin.

"_Be honest. Be sincere."_

Neji cleared his throat once more.

"_Concentrate."_

Confidence slowly found its way in the Hyuga genius. He was sure he was going to do it right this time.

"What I told you the other day in the hospital…" Neji paused. "I'm sorry if I hurt you in anyway. I was only saying the truth. I mean, let's face it, it was your fault why Lee needs to be hospitalized for days and it was your incompetence that almost cost us the mission." Neji paused once more. He was starting to get the hang of it. "But I really shouldn't have blamed you for all of those even if they were true. Your lack of training, skill, intelligence and experience were pretty much what caused all this. It wasn't all of you. It was just a few things you lacked. But you can always improve in them." Neji was smirking now. Apologizing was easier than her thought. "That's why you have Lee, Gai and me to account for your…" Neji paused to think of a nice word. "…Ineffectiveness. That's why we're a team." Neji grinned a bit. "I hope you can accept my sincerest apology."

Neji folded his arms on his chest and tilted his head on one side.

"That was easier than I thought."

He began to walk away.

"And people make such a big deal out of this trivial process…"

He looked at his surroundings and noticed that it was already past lunch time. He hasn't had a break yet since he started training at 5 am. Only then did he notice that his body was in dire need of nourishment. He was getting a bit hungry from all the training he did.

Neji inspected his clothes and noticed that they were covered in mud, pieces of wood and sweat. He also needed a shower and a change of clothes. He decided to go back to the Hyuga manor. After all, even though he was training obsessed he was still hygienic.

Neji turned towards the direction of the Hyuga manor. He hasn't seen Tenten yet but he hoped that he would. Though his practice was a complete and utter failure, he still wanted to apologize. What he did and said was uncalled for and he didn't want his friendship with Tenten to be ruined.

Neji jumped from tree to tree hoping that fate would let him see Tenten today even just coincidentally like in the busy streets of Konoha or in a training area. The place didn't really matter to him as long as he would see her to tell her what he wanted her to hear. That is, if FATE would allow him.

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"Okay… Say 'Ah'…" Sakura said as she held a dumpling near Lee's mouth.

"AH!!" Lee said as he opened his mouth to eat the dumpling. He was blushing from the attention that Sakura was giving him. _"Nothing could ruin this moment! Sakura-chan! Aishteru!"_

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. This made Sakura's attention shift from Lee to the door.

"_Looks like I spoke too soon! Oh Sakura-chan…" _Lee thought dejectedly.

The door opened to reveal Ino holding a few yellow roses. She entered the room with a smirk on her face because of the scene she saw between Lee and Sakura. Being the biggest gossip of the town, she would probably spread the 'news' between Lee and Sakura's so-called 'relationship' in a way that even Konoha's allies would hear about it by the end of the day. This earned her a glare from Sakura.

When Ino fully entered the room, Hinata came in after her. She was holding a few daisies delicately. She bowed and greeted them both politely.

"Ano… Good afternoon Sakura, Lee-sempai…"

"Um… Were we disturbing something? 'Cause if we were, we're happy to leave you guys alone." Ino said as her smirk grew wider.

"Shut your trap Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled as she glared at her.

"It's too bad I wasn't able to bring my camera! What a shame! I'm sorry about this Lee! We didn't mean to interrupt the two of you! Please don't get mad at us!" Ino said as she held back her laugh. Her face looked like a balloon that had too much helium and was about to pop!

"Ano… We're we interrupting? We're terribly sorry…" Hinata apologized as well.

"What?! Not you too Hinata!" Sakura whined in defeat.

"Iie… You weren't interrupting! Please come in…" Lee said. His face was as red as a tomato thanks to Ino and Hinata.

"Oh! No! No! No! Don't mind us! We're just here to give you these flowers!" Ino said as she placed the flowers on the table seeing as there was no vase. Hinata followed her and placed her flowers beside Ino's.

"No, please stay! I don't mind at all…" Lee said as he waved his hands in the air. His face was still as red as a tomato.

"Oh? Ok… You don't mind but Sakura does!" Ino said as she laughed her heart out.

"What the hell is your problem INO-PIG!" Sakura yelled.

"_Uh-oh… Here they go again…" _Hinata thought…

"Forehead Girl!"

"Pig!"

"Forehead Girl!"

"Pig!"

"What the heck is with all the noise? You girls are so troublesome…"

Ino and Sakura stopped to look at the four new visitors of Lee. It was Shikamaru who spoke.

"Hey!" Kiba and Chouji said in unison while Shino simply nodded his head towards Lee's direction.

"K-Kiba-kun… Shino-kun…" Hinata stuttered at her surprise.

"Shikamaru? Chouji? What are you two doing here?" Ino asked.

"Well duh? Isn't it obvious? We're here to visit Lee. Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru said but he whispered 'troublesome woman'. Unfortunately for him, Ino heard what he said.

"What did you say!? I dare you to say that again you LAZY BUM!" Ino yelled directly into Shikamaru's ears which caused him to wince in pain. After Ino yelled in his ear, he could hear bells ringing.

"Ino!" Shikamaru grunted in pain. He wanted to yell right back at her but he knew that she wouldn't stop if he did that. He would only add fuel to the fire. If he provoked her further, he might just lose his hearing permanently. _"It's too troublesome…"_

"What?!" Ino yelled at Shikamaru again which caused him to grimace.

"Forget it… It's too troublesome to start an argument with someone like you…" Shikamaru said in a 'matter of fact' way.

"And what's that suppose to mean?!" Ino yelled at him again but thankfully, he was no longer in his previous position: in front of Ino. He was now heading towards Lee. He went to start a conversation with Lee to avoid Ino's constant nagging. Ino, seeing this only fumed even more. However, she stopped when Sakura spoke.

"You know, the two of you kinda reminds me of Naruto and me before…" Sakura said looking spaced out. She was reminiscing moments she shared with Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke.

"_It hasn't been long since Naruto left. But with the village being this quiet and peaceful, it really makes you miss him." _Sakura thought. Her thoughts then diverted to the other member of her team, the person that she was very much in love with.

"_Sasuke-kun… I wonder how he is now…" _She was about to continue her reminiscing but then Ino interrupted her and her train of thoughts.

"Me and Shikamaru just like you and Naruto?!" Ino's face showed horror. "First of all, Naruto and Shikamaru are like total opposites! And what shocked me the most was: ME like YOU?! Oh EXCUUUUSE MEEE! I don't remember having a FOREHEAD as BIG as a BILLBOARD!"

Ino's statement made Sakura's eye twitch. She was giving off a murderous intent. How dare Ino compare her forehead to a billboard? That was the last draw!

"Oh is that so?! Then I don't remember myself being a PIG like you, you stupid, moronic and idiotic INO-PIG!!" Sakura yelled as she launched herself at Ino. The two kunoichis were about to have a cat fight but luckily Chouji and Kiba were able to stop the two.

"Keep it down you two." Kiba said as he held Sakura by the back of her collar with his right hand.

"Yeah… We're in a hospital after all." Chouji added as he held Ino at the back of her collar with one hand and he held his potato chips with the other hand.

"I-I agree… I-I think we should all just get along…" Hinata said to support Kiba and Chouji's statements.

Soon, the two girls calmed down. Kiba and Chouji released their holds on the two girls when they realized that they were no longer fired up and ready to rip each others heads apart.

"Since Sakura-chan mentioned Naruto… Has any of you seen Tenten?" Lee asked as he looked at Sakura. Sakura's statements about Naruto reminded Lee of his worries about Tenten the previous night. Naruto was not in the village right now. He was training with Jiraiya-sama. The whole 'leaving the village' thing reminded Lee of his problem and anxiety about Tenten.

"Hm… Now that you mention it, she hasn't come here to see you yet." Sakura said. Lee then diverted his attention to Ino.

"Nope… I haven't seen her this day either." Ino replied as she raised her hands up in the air in defeat.

Lee then looked at Shikamaru, then Chouji, then Kiba and then Shino. They all shook their heads. They haven't seen her all day.

Lee was getting more worried by the second. Then he looked at the last person in the room who hasn't answered yet.

"Um… I-I haven't seen her yet… M-Maybe she is training with Neji-ni-san…" Hinata replied.

"Yeah! There's a big chance that she is!" Sakura said.

"That girl! She just recently got out of the hospital and she's off training her butt! She's unbelievable!" Ino said in disbelief. However, that wasn't enough to rid Lee of his anxiousness.

"But has anyone of you seen Neji? Did he say anything about Tenten? Are you sure that she's really training with him?" Lee asked almost instantly and frantically that it freaked the rest of them out.

"Um… No… I haven't seen him… Why is there something wrong Lee?" Sakura asked worried.

"Hinata! Did he say anything? Anything at all?" Lee asked Hinata. His eyes were opened wide and you could really see that he was very anxious.

"Iie… Otosan said that he left early to train… Just like he always did…" Hinata answered.

"Did he mention Tenten?!" Lee practically yelled which cause Hinata to jump.

"Lee! What's with you?" Ino yelled worried.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Just answer it Hinata!" Lee said irritated.

"I-Iie… W-When I woke up Neji-ni-san already left the house… A-All that I know is that he left early to t-train… That's a-all…" Hinata answered half freaked out by Lee's behavior.

"Could you look for Neji then? Ask him about Tenten! Please! I just really need to know something…" Lee said anxiously.

"Need to know what Lee?" Sakura asked confused. Lee was about to answer her question but then the door of Lee's hospital room flew open. All of them were surprised by the sudden loud noise. Their attentions were directed from Lee to the person who opened the door.

"Neji!" Lee shouted.


	11. Chapter 11

Have you guys checked my profile already? I have a really cute picture of Neji and Tenten as my avatar or icon! Well… I just wanted to brag about it for no reason! Hehehe! I just sooo totally love that picture that I had to crop it and resize it just so I could use it as an icon! Check my profile if you NEJITENTEN fans wanna see how awesome it is! It's so totally cute! Kawaii! But SASUTEN is also cute! Too bad I can't find a picture of them! Maybe I can ask my brother to make one for me… He's good at computer stuff!

After reading PLEASE answer the question I left below! I know I already left it in the previous chapter but still! I need more opinions! Really I do so at least answer it! Your answers could help make this story better! Thanks to those who will comply with my request!

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* * *

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**Chapter 11: Realization (part 2)**

The sun was setting now. All of Konoha was quietly heading home, tired from the day's work. Everything was so peaceful and quiet – serene. All the children left the playground and headed home with their parents. Shops were closing one by one. However, 'serene' wasn't the word to describe the events occurring in room 23A of Konoha's hospital – a room that belonged to none other than the beautiful green beast of Konoha, Rock Lee.

Neji had just entered Lee's room. After some rest in the Hyuga manor, he decided to visit Lee in the hospital. He guessed that Tenten would probably be there to see Lee. If she had, by some chance, already left, then at least he could ask Lee where she was going. It was better than searching for her in the whole village.

Neji heard screams coming from Lee's room so he rushed there to see for himself what was happening. The moment he opened the door, he saw 8 pairs (Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sakura and Lee) of shocked eyes looking at him. He suddenly heard a loud cry of desperation from Lee.

"Neji!" Lee shouted.

"Is everything alri-?" Neji asked with a tinge of confusion in his voice but he was cut of by Lee immediately.

"Where's Tenten?!"

"What do you mean where's Tenten?" Neji asked even more confused.

"WHERE… IS… TENTEN?" Lee asked slowly but anxiously.

"How should I know? I haven't seen her all day…" Neji replied smoothly. This made Lee go into panic mode.

"WHAT!? So not a single one of you here has seen her?!" Lee yelled.

"Calm down, Lee." Neji commanded.

"You can't just expect me to calm down! Tenten's missing!" Lee said irritated.

"We're still not sure of that." Shikamaru said.

"What else could explain this situation?" Lee said as he glared at Shikamaru.

"What situation?" Ino asked.

"You've been acting insane ever since you mentioned Tenten." Kiba said.

"What's with her anyway?" Chouji asked as he munched on his chips.

"Has something happened to her?" Shino spoke for the first time. Even he was getting freaked out with Lee's behavior.

"You know her as well as I do Neji…" Lee said as he looked at Neji seriously.

"And your point is?" Neji asked coolly.

"My point IS that it's not like her to NOT visit someone injured in a hospital especially me since I'm her teammate! She even agreed that we would spar when I got better!" Lee said exasperatedly.

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

"_You don't have to pretend. I know it's my fault. You don't have to be modest. Just be like Neji and tell me bluntly that it was my fault!"_

"_I don't know what Neji told you but you know how he is. He pretty much doesn't care about how his words affect others. Don't cry. I'm not pretending. Not once did I blame you for what happened. It's not your fault." Lee replied firmly._

"_You're such a stubborn idiot…" Tenten said in between tears._

"_That's enough Tenten… Just get some rest. After I leave the hospital, I'm gonna spar with you and I hope that you've gotten really really good ok?" Lee said with a smile that went 'ting'…_

_Tenten smiled with a little sadness in her eye and said, "Get well soon ok Lee?"_

"_You bet!"_

"_I'll miss you…" She said with a hint of sadness in her voice._

"_Huh? Oh Come on! It's only a week and besides you can come here to visit me, right?" Lee said._

_Tenten didn't reply. She just gave him a weak smile and said…_

"_Goodbye…"_

_(End of Flashback)_

* * *

Lee froze at the thought of Tenten's last statement…

"_Goodbye…"_

Lee was then distracted from his thoughts by Neji.

"So? That doesn't mean that she'd visit you everyday. You're just being paranoid." Neji said as he tried to hide his own anxiousness. He knew Lee was right. He just didn't want to admit it himself.

"Neji! You know her as much as I do or even more! You know how she is!" Lee said in disbelief at Neji's dismissal of the serious matter.

"Well… Maybe Tsunade-sama sent her on a mission." Neji said. Lee just grunted at Neji's reply.

"That's impossible… She just got out of the hospital yesterday. Tsunade-sama wouldn't even think of sending her on a mission." Sakura replied softly when she sensed Lee's irritation towards Neji.

"Maybe it was urgent and they needed to make an exemption." Neji replied emotionlessly. He was after all a Hyuga. Hiding his emotions was as easy as counting 1-2-3.

"I can't believe you're saying this Neji!" Lee shouted.

"She can't have gone on a mission without any companions. And we're all here…" Chouji said.

"Maybe she had other teammates." Neji replied as he began looked bored.

"NEJI!" Lee shouted. This time he was getting angry. "Aren't you the least bit worried about Tenten?"

"I don't need to be because I have no reason to." Neji replied smugly.

"Don't you at least find this situation alarming?" Kiba asked.

"As a matter of fact, NO." Neji said blankly. Then he continued.

"Maybe she's just late." Neji said. He was running out of excuses. He just didn't want to admit that there was a possibility that something had happened to Tenten.

"_No way… It couldn't be…"_

Lee was fuming. Luckily Sakura was able to calm him down.

"How about we all just look for her in the village and we'll tell her to come visit you when we find her. Is that ok, Lee?" Sakura asked him softly.

Lee simply nodded.

"J-Just get some rest Lee-s-sempai…" Hinata thoughtfully said.

Sakura helped Lee get back to bed and made him rest despite his pleas that he'd help them look for Tenten. Sakura was very intrigued by Lee's actions. It was as if he was 100 percent sure that Tenten was missing when in fact he didn't even have any proof or a single piece of evidence to support his deduction.

"We'll look for her. Just get some rest. Imagine what Tenten would say when she saw you out of bed." Ino argued.

"Fine. I'll check her apartment." Neji said as he headed for the door. He opened it and said, "Wait for her here Lee." before he closed the door and left.

Lee nodded in defeat. The rest of them went to leave the room but Lee asked Sakura to stay behind with him and hopefully wait for Tenten's arrival.

* * *

"Has anyone seen her yet?" Shikamaru said through his wireless radio.

"No…"

"Not here…"

"Haven't yet…"

"I-I've not seen her yet …"

"Nope…"

"She's not here!!"

"Sigh… This is just so troublesome… Keep looking guys…" Shikamaru said. He was wondering how the hell he got mixed up in all this. Oh yeah! Now he remembered…

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

"Ok guys! Let's go look for Tenten!" Ino yelled with determination evident in her eyes. She was met by nods and okays.

"Good luck then…" Shikamaru said as he headed for the door. He was about to open it but Ino slapped his hand and went in front of him as she yelled at him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going Shikamaru?!" Ino yelled. This caused Shikamaru to curse under his breath.

"_Can't she speak without screaming?!" _Shikamaru thought irritated as he tried to get rid of the bells in his ears.

"Well?!" Ino asked him while yelling once more.

"Damn it! Troublesome woman… Don't you know how to speak normally! WITHOUT SCREAMING!" Shikamaru screamed as well. She was really getting into his nerves!

"Of course I do! For a genius you sure aren't that smart!" Ino yelled back.

"That was a rhetorical question! Never mind! Arguing with you is the most troublesome thing in the world!" Shikamaru said irritated and he tried to get pass Ino to get out of the room and finally getting some peace.

"What are you doing? Aren't you gonna help us find Tenten?" Sakura asked as she looked at Ino's attempts to stop Shikamaru from leaving.

"It's too troublesome!" Shikamaru coolly replied. He still couldn't get past Ino.

"HA! Trust this lazy bum to NOT help out! He never does!" Ino insulted. This earned her a glare from Shikamaru.

"It's my life. I'll do what I want with it. Now get out of the way."

"Oh yeah?! I outta-" Ino was about to charge at Shikamaru. Good thing Chouji caught her by the collar again.

"Calm down you two… Common Shikamaru! Let's help out. We don't have anything else to do anyway." Chouji said.

"Let go Chouji! Let me at him!" Ino screamed and tried to wiggle out of Chouji's grip.

"H-Hai Shikamaru-kun… L-Lee-sempai really needs our help…" Hinata said shyly. She didn't know Shikamaru that well so she was really shy to ask him to help.

"Even Shino and I are coming…" Kiba said. Though they never really were close to Lee or Tenten, they all felt obliged to help out when one was in need.

Shikamaru looked at the rest of them and sighed.

"_It looks like there is no getting out of this troublesome situation."_

He looked at them one by one and then his gaze fell on to Ino who was still struggling to get Chouji's grip off her.

"Just calm down Ino!" Chouji said.

"Violence won't solve anything." Shino said quietly.

"Let her go Chouji…" Shikamaru surrendered. The moment Chouji let Ino go, she charged at Shikamaru only to stop when she heard what he said. Luckily, her fist was still a few inches away from Shikamaru's face.

"I'm coming…" He said. It was a good thing that he said it before her fist connected with his face. _"Lucky break!"_

"Hmp… If you said that a while ago then no trouble would have happened!" Ino said as she crossed her hands in from of her chest and closed her eyes.

"When you're around there's always bound to be trouble." Shikamaru whispered.

"What was that?!" Ino yelled only to find that Shikamaru was gone and that the others were already leaving the room.

"THAT IDIOT!!" Shikamaru heard Ino scream. He smirked triumphantly. _"Hmp… A troublesome woman indeed…"_

_(End of flashback)_

* * *

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru whispered as he jumped from tree to tree to continue his search.

* * *

"_I can't use my Byakugan… It would be invading her privacy…"_ Neji thought as he stood in front of Tenten's house. He's been standing there for quite a while already. He kept on knocking but Tenten wasn't answering. He came up with three reasons why she wouldn't come to answer the door.

"_She's either asleep… Not home… Or she simply doesn't want to see me…"_

Neji then decided to enter her apartment. He picked the lock and let himself in.

"_It's better to enter this way… It may be trespassing but it's better than using my Byakugan… I might see something else…" _Neji thought as a small blush crept up his cheeks. He shook his head to get rid of any of his 'unusual' thoughts.

"Tenten?" Neji called out. There was no reply.

"Tenten? Are you home?" He said again. This time a little louder so that he was sure that if ever Tenten was home, she'd hear him. However, there was still no reply.

He searched for her in the kitchen, living room and backyard but she wasn't there. He went up stairs to her bed room and knocked.

"Tenten? Are you in there? Open up." He ordered. Maybe she was asleep and resting. After all she just got out of the hospital.

"Tenten?" Neji was getting frustrated. He didn't want to enter her bed room without permission but it's been five minutes now and she hasn't answered him.

"Fine. I'm coming in then!" Neji said irritated as he opened the door. He was surprised to see no one there.

"Tenten?" He asked once more. He couldn't feel her presence. Maybe she really wasn't home.

Neji cursed under his breath. He wasted so much time.

"_Should've used my Byakugan…"_

He was about to leave but then his eyes were attracted by three envelopes placed neatly in a row on Tenten's bed. He scrunched his eye brows and headed for Tenten's bed. He picked up the three envelops and saw three names written on them.

"_Gai-sensei… Lee… And… Me?" _Neji thought in confusion.

"These are…Letters?" Neji said. Why would Tenten leave them letters? Unless she went somewhere…

"Maybe she had a mission…" Neji said. He didn't know why but his heart was beating really fast. He held the letter that had his name written on it. He inhaled deeply and then he exhaled. He was being paranoid. He needed to relax.

"_Lee's getting to me…"_

Neji slowly opened the letter and read it. After a few minutes, his eyes grew big as his hands subconsciously lost their strength. The letter slowly floated off his hands and onto the cold concrete floor.

"Tenten's… Gone…"


	12. Chapter 12

Hey! I'm back guys… I'm just so quick in updating! :)

I also wanted to tell you guys that **if you TRULY want to enjoy the story**, you should really get into it and try to understand how the characters feel! I felt how they feel and I really got touched by Neji's actions… This chapter is sad so please get into it!

So without further ado, here's chapter 12!!

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**Chapter 12: Realization (part 3)**

"So… Lee… May I ask you a question?" Sakura asked after she cleaned up the broken pieces of the vase on the floor. She's been there since lunch but she never really noticed it until everyone left the room. It was hidden under Lee's bed. She guessed that Lee must have moved it there somehow.

At first she didn't want to ask him because he looked like he wasn't really in the mood to talk but she just had to know.

"What is it Sakura?"

"I just wanted to know why you're so… Well… How can I say this?" Sakura said as she looked up to think and rubbed her forehead.

"Just tell me…" Lee said. He wasn't looking at her. He was somehow preoccupied with staring at his two hands on the blanket. He looked like he was somewhere else. He was spaced out.

"Well… How are you so sure about… Well… Tenten?" Sakura hesitated but she asked nonetheless.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… What makes you think that she's… Um… Gone or that something has happened to her?" Sakura said as she fumbled her fingers.

"Just because…" Lee simply replied.

"What do you mean 'just because'?" Sakura pushed on. She didn't want to trouble Lee but her curiosity was killing her.

"It's not like you'd believe me…" Lee sadly said.

"Then try me…" Sakura said firmly.

"Ok… Sakura-chan… Have you ever had a feeling?"

"What kind of feeling?"

"You know… A weird feeling… Like you know that there's something wrong…" Lee met Sakura's eyes. His eyes were filled with worry and desperation.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked only to receive a sigh from Lee as he bowed his head back down.

"It's really hard to explain …"

"Well… Isn't there anyway for you to be able to relay it to me? How about you start from the beginning…" Sakura pushed on.

Lee sighed once more.

"Well… Ok…"

"I'm listening…"

"Do you remember when you asked me a while ago what happened to the vase and why it was broken?" Lee looked at Sakura in the eyes.

"Well… Yes. You told me that a nurse bumped it by mistake. Why do you ask?" Sakura now had one of her eye brows raised in confusion.

"Well… Simply because that's not the real reason." Lee looked away.

"Ooookay…" Sakura looked at Lee weirdly. Why would Lee lie to her about a vase? And why was it important?

Sakura cleared her throat.

"So what's the real reason then?"

Lee met Sakura's eyes once more. His eyes were serious and somewhat determined.

"I hit myself with it last night on the head."

"What?!" Sakura slightly screamed in shock. "_So that explains why he had a bump on his head this morning."_

"Why the heck would you do that?" Sakura asked even more confused. She thought their conversation was about Tenten so how the hell did the topic shift from Tenten to a measly vase?

Lee was silent.

"_I remember Lee agreeing that he would begin from the start… Does this mean that this all started with a vase?!"_ Sakura's inner self was going out of her mind. How the hell did a vase get in the picture?!

"So… I hope you don't mind my asking but what does a vase have to do with any of this?" Sakura asked not being able to bear Lee's silence.

"Well… I couldn't sleep last night so I hit myself with it." Lee finished. It was as if he didn't want to tell Sakura the whole thing. He was leaving her hanging.

"Care to elaborate?" Sakura inquired further.

"I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about Tenten and the conversation we had yesterday late in the afternoon." Lee continued.

"Okay…" Sakura said as she nodded her head… _"So that's what the vase was about! Dang it!! At least Tenten's in the picture now…"_

"What did you two talk about?"

"After you left, she started to act really weird…"

Sakura scrunched her eye brows.

"What do mean 'really weird'?"

"She started to act weird when I talked about sparring… I wanted to cheer her up and give her something to channel her thoughts and emotions to so I told her that she better train hard because I'd spar with her when I got out of the hospital." Lee paused.

"And what did she do?"

"She looked at me and smiled but her eyes… They were sad. Almost as if they were apologetic, regretful…" Lee looked up with a pained face. He looked as if he was trying to focus on an object far away.

"Maybe she was just guilty…" Sakura tried to reason.

"No. It was different. I could tell… Really I could!" Lee insisted when he saw Sakura's confused look.

"Did she say anything?"

"That's the weirdest part… What she was saying!" Lee's eyes were getting deperate.

"Well… What did she say?" Sakura began to get anxious as well.

"She started to say 'Get well soon' and then 'I'll miss you'." Lee sadly said. "'Get well soon was understandable but why would she say 'I'll miss you'? It's only going to be a week of diagnosis and besides she could come here to visit me, right?" Lee said as he tried to remember the words that Tenten told him.

"_Get well soon ok Lee?"_

"_I'll miss you…"_

"You have a point. But maybe she said 'I'll miss you' because she'd miss not seeing you in the training grounds for a week?" Sakura said as she was also deep in thought.

"No. She's not that kind of person. She's not mushy. She's really strong emotionally. To tell you the truth, I've never seen her cry. The only instance where I saw her cry was yesterday when she came to visit me."

Soon, Lee remembered the Tenten's last word to him. The word that had been haunting him every since the day it broke free from her lips. The word that he was starting to dread for it disturbed him every single moment in his sleep.

"_Goodbye…"_

"She even said 'goodbye'! She said it in a way that… That made me feel like… Like we'd never see each other again… And then, the expression on her face…" Lee said as his head fell down and so did his shoulders.

Sakura didn't know what to say. She's never really seen Lee this depressed about anything aside from when he was badly injured and when he couldn't train. Now she was starting to understand Lee a little bit and why he was behaving that way…

"Don't worry Lee. The others are looking for her. They'll bring her back here. I'm sure of it." Sakura assured firmly.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan but I just can't stop worrying! Have you ever experienced feeling something that only you knew and felt and that no body else understood? Like you know something bad is going to happen? Like you know that there's something wrong with a person…"

"I understand Lee… I really do understand…" Sakura said sadly as tears were slowly being formed in her eyes.

Lee regretted saying those words. How could he have forgotten? Sakura felt the same way he is now when Sasuke left the village. He never wanted to admit it but he knew that Sakura really loved Sasuke even though it hurts him. He knew the truth but he was just too stubborn to admit it.

"I'm sorry… Sakura-chan…" Lee quietly said as he looked as Sakura sadly.

Sakura wiped her tears away and gave Lee a smile.

"You don't have to be sorry Lee! You didn't do anything…"

Lee just answered her by looking away from her and looking back down on both of his hands on the blanket.

"Don't worry Lee! I'm sure they'll find Tenten. I'm sure they will." Sakura assured Lee once more.

Lee simply gave her a smile.

* * *

Neji sat down on Tenten's bed. He could believe what he just read. It was impossible… Absolutely unheard of!

Neji calmed himself down and started to think rationally.

Perhaps it was just a prank to get back at him?

"_If it was then why did she need to make one for Lee and Gai-sensei as well?_"

Neji began to think once more. Of course! It was so obvious. She did it to make the prank look more realistic!

"_There's a big possibility…"_

But Neji knew her too well. She wasn't the prankster type. She would never do anything like this. She'd never trick her own teammates. It's just wasn't her style. But he just couldn't believe it all just like that, could he? There had to be some other explanation. There just had to be!

Neji looked at the floor and saw the letter that Tenten wrote to him. He subconsciously let it fall to the ground right after he read it at first. He slowly moved to pick up the letter sprawled on the cold concrete. It looked lifeless, fragile, bleak…

Neji tried to read it again and this time, he tried to understand it thoroughly. Perhapse he misunderstood something or overlooked a line that said 'just kidding'. He breathed in and out a couple of times to relax him self and he began to read the letter again.

_Neji,_

_By the time you've found this letter, I'm probably already miles away from Konoha. I've decided to leave. Some important things came up and I need to deal with them. It's my responsibility. What I need to do is for me to know and for you to find out if ever I return to Konoha, that is. You see… I'm not in any position to tell you. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you. You don't need to get upset and I know you aren't. After all you are THE Hyuga Neji, right?_

Neji stopped to stare at the word 'the' written in all caps. He could sense the sarcasm in her statement but he wasn't going to admit that he was a hurt by it, not even a little. He continued to read the rest of the letter.

_I haven't told anyone that I would leave. Not even Lee knows. I guess you'd probably be the first one to discover that I'm gone. Lee's in the hospital and Gai-sensei is on a mission. So it's only natural that you'd be the first, right? Well, before I end this letter, I just wanted to apologize to you._

Neji stopped when he read the word 'apologize'. Why was she apologizing to him when in fact he should be the one apologizing to her? Now that he thought of it, whenever he and Tenten had a fight, Tenten was always the one to ask for forgiveness. After she did, he would just accept it without saying 'sorry' back. He was saddened by his sudden realization but he continued to read the letter nonetheless. There was no use crying over spilled milk.

_I'm sorry for pulling the team down. I'm sorry for getting Lee hurt. I'm sorry for causing us the mission. I'm sorry for not being good enough. I'm sorry… I really am sorry for everything. I hope by now that you have already forgiven me. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will be able to find you a better teammate to replace me. And when that happens, you'll be an unstoppable team._

Neji paused again to inspect a few blotches of ink. It looked like it was once wet. Could she have been crying while she wrote this?

Neji touched the part that had her tear stain. He couldn't believe it. So this wasn't a prank after all. It was real. He also couldn't believe that Tenten thought that anyone could replace her! That was not true. He could see Tenten as the only woman that he'd actually want to be his teammate or maybe even more. How could she even think that the team would be better without her? Neji ignored the pain forming in his chest and continued to read the rest of the letter.

_I'll really miss you Neji. I'll miss my sparring partner. I'm sure you'll become a better and stronger ninja. Heck I won't even be surprised if I find out one day that you've become the Hokage. I hope my disappearance will be of great benefit to the team. No, I'm sure my disappearance will be a great benefit indeed. Take care of yourself ok? And continue to aim for the top. Though I won't be there beside you anymore, I will always be cheering you on wherever I am._

_Tenten_

Neji closed his eyes. The realization that Tenten was gone was too much for him to bear. He breathed in and out to calm himself down but his chest was getting heavier by the minute. It was starting to become hard for him to breath. He stood up, grabbed the other two letters and shoved them in his pocket. He immediately left Tenten's apartment and headed to the hospital to tell Lee.

Neji jumped from roof to roof but he still couldn't breathe. He was emotionally unstable at the moment and he knew it. He needed to let his emotions out somehow or else he'd risk venting it out on some unfortunate soul. He immediately changed his route and head to Team Gai's training grounds. Even in his emotional turmoil, he knew this was the wisest choice.

Neji closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened them once more. They were transformed into a pool of mixed emotions, each fighting for dominion. No one would be able to read or understand what he was feeling right now. Even he himself had no idea. But only one thing's for sure, Konoha would be losing a lot of trees tonight.

* * *

And that's the end of chapter 12… It's so sad… Even I felt depressed when I read it! But I hope I made you guys sad too! If you guys felt sad then I've succeeded as a writer! Anyway don't be sad anymore! Of course the realization that Tenten's gone is supposed to be sad! What did you guys expect a party? hehe..I'm so sad about Neji… How's Lee gonna react when he finds out?! Oh No! **:-o **(shocked face)

Just to inform you, the next chapter is really long and I think I did a really good job on it so please read it!

**Check out my new story! It's a SASUTENJI…** It's entitled **"MINE"**... It's good… At least I think it is. My readers say it is! :-)! And I'm really happy with it!


	13. Chapter 13

Back again! Thanks for your continuous support! It's because of you guys that I am still continuing to write this story! I really appreciate everything you guys! I love you so much!

Anyway, I did my best on this chapter and I think that it's good! So please read and **REVIEW!**

**

* * *

Chapter 13: Realization (part 4)**

"What's taking them so long?!" Lee was getting frustrated. They left to look for Tenten during sunset. Now, it was completely dark. Lee looked at the clock and saw that it was 7 in the evening already. They've been searching for Tenten for about two hours now but he still hasn't heard anything from anyone.

"Be patient, Lee. I'm sure they'll be here with Tenten soon." Sakura said as she tried to calm Lee down.

"It shouldn't have taken this long to look for one person! Unless…" Lee paused.

"Unless what Lee?"

"…Unless Tenten really is gone!" Lee said as he looked at Sakura wide eyed.

"Lee… Don't say those things! They'll be here with her. I'm sure they will be!"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Lee and Sakura both directed their attentions towards the door.

Lee's heart began to pound really hard as he looked at the knob turn. Everything was going in slow motion.

After what felt like an eternity, the knob stopped turning and the door began to slowly open. The suspense was killing him.

When the door finally opened, it revealed Shikamaru. He entered the door followed by Ino, Chouji, Shino, Kiba and Hinata. Lee was waiting for Tenten to enter but much to his dismay, Hinata was the last to enter.

Lee and Sakura were a little bit confused because no one spoke. They were all quiet. They occasionally looked at each other waiting for the group to speak.

"Well… Where's Tenten?" Lee asked Shikamaru.

Shikamaru simply looked at Lee then turned his gaze towards Hinata. He then tilted his head towards Lee's direction signaling Hinata to get near Lee.

Hinata nervously walked up to Lee. She was shaking a little. When she arrived in front of Lee, she placed her right hand in her right pocket. When she took it out, her hand was holding two letters. She hesitantly gave them both to Lee then she backed up to her original place.

"What's this Hinata?" Lee asked confused.

When he asked that question, the expressions of the group turned sad.

Lee scrunched his brows and inspected the letters. On the back of the letter, one had 'Gai-sensei' written on it while the other had 'Lee' written on it.

"Why does it have Gai-sensei and my name on it?" Lee asked the group but his gaze was on Hinata waiting for her to answer.

At first, Hinata was hesitant but she gathered up her courage to speak.

"N-Neji-ni-san g-gave it to me…"

"He told Hinata to give it to you." Shikamaru said to support the stuttering Hinata.

_

* * *

(Flashback)_

Neji jumped from tree to tree hoping that he would already reach their training grounds as soon as possible. He couldn't keep his emotions at bay any longer. He sped up even more but stopped almost immediately when he realized he was about to crash into someone.

"Hinata-sama…"

Hinata immediately stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Neji almost bumping into her. She was a little scared when she saw Neji's eyes. His Byakugan was intense and his eyes were giving off so much different emotions.

"N-Neji-n-ni-san…"

Neji then took two letters out of his pocket and stretched his hand towards Hinata.

"W-What a-are those?"

"Letters. Take them to Lee."

Hinata could only nod as she extended her hands to take the letter.

The moment the letter changed hands, Neji made a move to leave. However, Hinata managed to muster up enough courage to call out his name.

"N-Neji-nisan…"

Neji stop on his tracks to look at his frail cousin's form. When he looked at her, Hinata stiffened but she decided to ask him her question nonetheless.

"W-Who a-are these l-letters f-from?" Hinata was stuttering more than usual.

"Tenten…" Neji responded as he looked away from her and began to walk away.

"O-Oh… W-Where is s-she?" Hinata was a little confused.

"She left the village last night." Neji answered. After those words escaped his lips, he was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving a very stunned Hinata behind.

_(End of flashback)_

* * *

"Neji? Why would he ask you to give this to me?" Lee asked Hinata once more.

This time, Hinata stiffened a bit. She really didn't want to be the one to break the horrible news to Lee. Luckily, Kiba answered Lee's question for her.

"He told Hinata that they were from Tenten."

"What? From Tenten? Why does she need to write me a letter? Was she too busy to visit me personally?" Lee was somewhat relieved.

Kiba looked at Shikamaru. His eyes were saying, _"Looks like it misunderstood it."_

Shikamaru sighed. He knew that this whole situation would be troublesome. _"Why did I even bother to get involved in all of this?"_

"No Lee…" Ino said.

"Then what is it?" Lee was losing his patience.

"_What's up with them?" _Sakura thought. Her expression then changed when she came to a sudden realization. _"Oh… Don't tell me…"_

Shikamaru looked at the rest of them. None of them seemed to have the heart to tell Lee the bad news. _"Damn it… Looks like I have to do it…" _Shikamaru sighed.

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

"Hinata? Hinata are you there?" Kiba called out to his radio. He could hear another person's voice. If he was right, it was Neji's.

"What's wrong?" Shino asked Kiba through his radio.

"Hinata's not responding. I think she's with Neji." Kiba answered.

"Neji? I thought he went to Tenten's apartment to check if she was there?" Ino butted in the conversation.

"Hinata? Answer us…" Shikamaru spoke through his radio.

"H-hai…" Hinata nervously replied.

"What happened to you?" Chouji asked.

"U-um…" Hinata stuttered.

"Are you alright?" Kiba asked.

"What did he tell you?" Shino asked.

"Did he find Tenten already?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hello?" Ino stated with irritation. Hinata wasn't answering any of their questions.

"U-um… A-ano… N-Neji-n-ni-san said…"

"Yes go on?" Ino pushed.

"T-Tenten-s-sempai…"

"So he did see her…" Kiba assumed.

"I-Iie… H-He didn't…" Hinata said.

"Then what is it?" Chouji asked.

"The suspense is killing me Hinata! You're driving me crazy!" Ino yelled through her radio.

"Damn it! Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru said as he winced. He rubbed his ears in pain.

"I dare you to tell me that in my face?!" Ino yelled again.

"Will you two love birds stop it?!" Chouji yelled.

"I don't know if you guys forgot but Hinata has something to say!" Kiba yelled as well.

"Hmp!" Ino said.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru replied.

"Go on Hinata…" Shino calmly stated.

"T-Tenten-s-sempai…" Hinata began as everyone waited for her to finish. It was talking her a damn long time and everyone was already getting pissed. After all, no one liked to be left in suspense.

"Get on with it!" Ino yelled. After she spoke, she was met with:

"Ssshhh…"

"Quiet!"

"Ino!"

"Troublesome…"

"Fine…" Ino said in defeat.

"T-Tenten-sempai… L-Left the v-village last n-night…"

_(End of flashback)_

* * *

Shikamaru shook his head and got rid of his thoughts. He then exhaled loudly. This caused Lee and Sakura to look at him. When he noticed that he had their attentions, he began to speak.

"Lee… Tenten left the village last night."

* * *

CRASH!

Another innocent tree was smashed and separated forcefully from its roots by none other that the infamous Hyuga prodigy.

The night was filled with so much tension thanks to Tenten's disappearance. It was also as if nature was providing a suitable ambiance for the event.

There was not a single star up in the sky. Even the moon was slowly being engulfed by thick black clouds. Lighting and thunder came to take their place. Thick clouds were building up, hovering over the small village of Konoha. It was no doubt that there would be a storm tonight.

Neji stopped his killing spree for a moment to look up at the sky. His eyes still encased mix emotions. He was in turmoil with himself and with his feelings.

Tenten had left their village…

Just what exactly should he be feeling?

Neji's emotions continued to do battle, each craving for supremacy, but none ever succeeds.

He should have cried. He should have just cried. It was how a typical person would have reacted when confronted with loss.

Grieve. Regret. Blame. He should have done all of those. He should have done them as he cried like every normal human being. But he wasn't like them. He knew he wasn't like them. He had too much pride for any of those. He was a Hyuga. And Hyugas don't cry.

He stood there looking at the sky but this time, his eyes no longer showed mix emotions, turmoil and confusion. One emotion finally managed to stand out – SADNESS. As he looked up at the sky, he felt a drop of water fall on the bridge of his nose. Soon, hundreds, millions and billions of tiny, crystal droplets of water began to fall. At that moment, a memory emerged from the Hyuga prodigy's mind.

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

"Neji! Oi! Neji!" Tenten cried out at the Hyuga who was meditating under a tree.

Neji opened one eye and looked at the nagging girl irritably.

"What?"

"Can't you see that it's about to rain? Get up from there and let's go." Tenten said as she sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"We aren't finished training yet." Neji coolly said as he closed his eye once again.

"What?! You can't be serious?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Neji stated resolutely. His eyes were still closed.

"At this angle YES…" Tenten said in a 'matter-of-fact' way.

This caused Neji to open both of his eyes and looked at Tenten dangerously.

"Have I ever joked about training?"

"Hm… No… None that I can remember of…" Tenten answered as she was deep in thought.

"Then there's your answer." Neji said as he closed both of his eyes again. He was getting impatient. How could he meditate properly when someone kept on nagging him?

"B-But! We can't train any longer!" Tenten argued.

"Do you have a good reason why we can't?" Neji asked with his eyes still closed but his eye brows were a little bit knitted. He was getting tired of hearing her arguments.

"There's practically a storm approaching! Or can you not sense it?" Tenten said as she narrowed her eyes.

"And your point is?" Neji said emotionlessly.

"My point is?! We can't train anymore because we need to go home to avoid the storm!" Tenten was already getting pissed at the irrational genius.

"Is that so?" Neji asked impassively.

"Yes…" Tenten hissed.

"Then tell me… We've been in quite a lot of missions since we've graduated the academy, am I correct?" Neji began. His cool demeanor and calm tone irked Tenten even more.

"Yes… Where is this conversation going?" Tenten said confused and irritated.

"Then you know very well that we've been on missions wherein we practically traveled together with the storm." Neji stated.

Tenten irritably huffed as she balled her hands into fists in anger.

"That's during missions! This is training! And besides, we might get sick. If we do then our training will only be hindered!" Tenten pushed.

After she spoke, lightning came followed by thunder.

Tenten screamed in surprise. "SEE?!" She yelled as she pointed at the sky.

"Hn…" Neji replied. He was ignoring her.

"_Oh that's the last draw Hyuga! Ignoring me are you now?!"_

Tenten stomped her way out of the training grounds with or without the Hyuga prodigy's permission.

She hurriedly jumped from tree to tree hoping to get home as soon as possible. She didn't want the storm to catch up to her but unluckily, she started to feel hundreds of tiny droplets of water touch her skin and drench her clothes.

"Damn it…" She silently cursed as she doubled her speed. _"Stupid Neji…"_ She thought as she increased her speed even more.

Unluckily, she was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't expect that she would be greeted by a blinding flash of lightning followed by a deafening thunder. She was caught of guard by it and in her shock, she slipped off a tree.

She squeezed her eyes shut and waited to the impact.

CRASH!

"Hm?" She asked questioningly. _"That didn't hurt as much as I expected it would."_

She opened her eyes only to be met by the Hyuga prodigy's emotionless Byakugan eyes. She fought the blush that made its way to her cheeks. She then noticed that veins were popping out from the side of Neji's eyes. _"I've seen it before but I never thought that seeing it this close would be so… So… Scary…"_

"What are you looking at?" Neji cut Tenten out of her daze.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Tenten waved her hands in the air.

"What do you think you were doing in the first place? Getting a reason to go to the hospital?" Neji stated as he raised his eye brow.

"I-I got surprised! And… I guess I kinda… Slipped… Sorry…" Tenten stuttered. _"Damn it! Why am I stuttering?! I sound like freaking Hinata!"_

"Hn…" Neji replied as he placed her down not noticing the disappointment in her eyes when he let her go.

"We need to find some place to take shelter from this rain." Neji said as he looked around with his Byakugan.

Tenten's feeling of embarrassment was replaced with irritation in almost an instant.

"See! That's what I've been telling you from the beginning!" She scolded him.

"Hn…" Neji said as he brushed of the topic and jumped off to a tree and left Tenten there in shock.

"Oh he did not just ignore me! That's the second time this day! That good for nothing JERK!" Tenten yelled as she sped up to catch up with the Hyuga prodigy.

When she finally caught up him, she started to speak but he cut her off almost instantly.

"We're near the town. I see a place where we can take shelter from the rain until it clams down. Follow me." Neji said as he sped up.

"_Damn smartass! I was just about to start an argument but he decided to change the subject almost immediately! Rotten prodigy…"_ Tenten thought as she tried to calm herself down. _"Calm down. Fighting with Neji wouldn't be wise especially in this storm. So. Just. Be. Calm."_

They soon stopped when they reached Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Tenten was a bit surprised to see it open. She knew that it was open for twenty-four hours but for it to be open even in this bad weather, she had to give them some credit for that.

"We'll stay here until the rain subsides or clams down." Neji said as he sat at one of the stools.

Tenten turned around tell Neji 'I told you so' for not listening to her a few minutes ago but she immediately turned back away from him when she saw that he was SHIRTLESS. He was squeezing the water out of his shirt. He was lucky that he had no fan girls present because of the weather or else he might have been raped by now or out running for his dear life. His hair was also out of its usual pony tail. It was now hanging on the sides of his face while some strands clung to his neck and face.

Tenten tried her best to suppress her blush. _"Damn idiot! Why'd he go and do that?!"_

Neji smirked at her reaction. He knew that she would start an argument regarding their conversation a few minutes ago but he didn't expect that he would… Well… Distract her from her objective just because he was shirtless. He then wore his shirt once again and shivered ever so slightly because of the coldness of the fabric.

Tenten closed her eyes and brushed off the sight she saw. When she was positive that she had gotten rid of her blush, she turned around and sat on a stool beside Neji only there was one vacant stool in the middle of them. This made Neji quirk his eye brow at her as he smirked at her odd behavior.

Tenten chose to ignore Neji and his stupid egotistical reactions to how she reacted when she saw him shirtless. She just focused her attention on the rain and the dark lightning filled sky. Soon, she was able to forget about the whole 'shirtless' incident. She was so into watching the sky that she even totally forgot that she was with Neji. She only remembered him when he finally spoke to break Tenten out of her daze.

"What's on your mind?"

"Huh? Oh nothing… I just remembered something I read in a book…" Tenten said as she looked at Neji. He looked like he was waiting for Tenten to tell him what she read that really got her thinking. She laughed at his expression with earned her the infamous 'Hyuga glare'.

"What's so funny?" Neji asked irritated.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Tenten said defensively as she raised her hands up to surrender.

"Well? What's bothering you?" Neji asked her again.

"Why do you want to know?" Tenten asked stubbornly. She wanted to see how far she could go until Neji looses his cool.

"Must you always need a reason to answer a question?" Neji said smirking thinking that he's won but his smirk instantly faded into a frown when he heard Tenten's comeback.

"Must I always answer every single question you ask me?"

Now it was Tenten's time to smirk. _"HA! Take that Neji! Score for the weapons mistress!"_

"Hn…" Neji said as he looked away from her.

"Fine. Since you really wanna know and since I don't want to see you sulk…" Tenten said as she grinned at the Hyuga prodigy.

"Who's sulking?" Neji said as his eye twitched.

"I was just kidding! Sheesh… Lighten up Neji!" Tenten said. She really didn't want to get in a fight with Neji right now.

"Hn…" Neji replied as he was back to being emotionless.

"Before I tell you… What do you think of the rain?" Tenten asked as she turned her attention from the prodigy back to the sky and the tiny droplets of water.

"What kind of question is that?" Neji said as he looked at her as if she was deranged.

"Oh just answer it Neji!" Tenten frustratingly said.

Neji raised an eye brow but decided to answer her question anyway.

"Fine… It's the result of the never ending water cycle. Through the heat of the sun, water evaporates from the land and travels up to the sky where it is condensed into ice thereby forming clouds. When the weight of the condensed water is too much, the clouds get heavier and therefore, with the help of the sun's heat, the water precipitates and then returns to the land in the form of rain. Then the cycle repeats itself over and over again. It's a reality of life. It can't be changed."

Tenten looked at Neji in 'awe'.

"What?" Neji asked as he looked at her.

"Wow… I didn't know you were smart!" Tenten said sarcastically. _"Honestly! He didn't have to give such a scientific answer! What does he think of me – STUPID?"_

Neji raised an eye brow at her again. He was doing that to her often ever since they started arguing.

"But I never knew you could speak that much!" Tenten said as her face lit up and then she smiled. Neji was taken aback by her reaction but he chose to ignore it.

"Hn…"

"You see… I asked you that question because I read in this book that the 'rain' is an accumulation of tears… The tears that we human beings refuse to shed…"

"That's stupid…" Neji stated flatly and uninterested.

"Hey! I know it's not true but just the thought of it is kind of… Wonderful…"

"What's wonderful about a bunch of idiotic statements?" Neji looked at her incredulously.

"Neji! It's wonderful because whenever it rains, I remember it and then I check to see how strong the rain is. You know? It's intensity… And I can't help but think that during storms, a lot of people failed to shed their tears. It's just a nice thing to think of." Tenten said as she looked far away into the rain with a smile on her face.

"Hn… Whatever…" Neji said as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. However, he opened them once again when he heard his sparring partner laugh.

"What?" He asked irritated.

"You're no fun at all Neji!" Tenten yelled as she laughed at him again.

_(End of flashback)_

* * *

Neji was still looking at the sky. He was now drenched from the rain. At that moment, the words of his female teammate kept on playing on his mind.

"_The 'rain' is an accumulation of tears… The tears that we human beings refuse to shed…"_

It was ironic. Heaven was the one doing all the 'crying' for Neji. If he wasn't so lost and broken at the moment, he would have laughed at himself for being so pathetic.

If someone saw the Hyuga prodigy, they would just assume that he was standing there to enjoy the rain or that he just simply lost his sanity. But unbeknownst to anybody, the Hyuga prodigy did something that no one thought he was capable of – crying.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys! I'm back with chapter fourteen! Summer here in the Philippines is hell!! Anyway, it's official. This fanfic is a NEJITEN story… There! I said it! Okay? NejiTen… To the people who wanted this to be a SasuTen, sorry… I based the paring on my poll… Don't worry though! I'll make a SasuTen story for you guys but not yet right now okay? Since I have two stories to worry about… But I will make one!

So, without further ado, here's chapter 14!

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* * *

**

**Chapter 14: Neji's Decision**

The sun was slowly rising. It was now morning. The birds chirped happily and the cold wind blew ever so softly as the residents of Konoha slowly rose from slumber. It was a beautiful day indeed.

"So… How's Lee doing?" Shikamaru asked Sakura. They were talking outside of Lee's room.

"Not so good… He hasn't talked to me since last night and he refuses to eat anything. He just stares into space." Sakura replied sadly.

"I see…" Shikamaru replied. Sakura nodded to acknowledge his reply.

"Well… Did you, by any chance get to read the letter that Tenten wrote to him? Tsunade asked me to give her the letter or at least relay to her what was written on it." Shikamaru said.

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

Knock… Knock… Knock…

"Come in." Tsunade said as she continued to read the papers Shizune handed to her.

The door opened to reveal Shikamaru. He slowly walked towards Tsunade's table and stopped when he was right in front of her.

Tsunade paused from what she was doing and looked at Shikamaru. Tsunade scrunched her eye brows at the expression on Shikamaru's face.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

"There's something that you need to know…" Shikamaru said quietly.

"Well… What is it?" Tsunade responded as she put down the papers she was reading. She leaned on her chair and crossed her arms in front of her chest, her gaze never leaving the juvenile Chuunin. _"Something's up…"_

"Someone left the village last night." Shikamaru said as he looked at Tsunade.

Tsunade's eyes grew big and then they narrowed again.

"What do you mean by 'left the village'?" She asked.

"The same way with Sasuke's…" Shikamaru answered.

"What?! Who left?" Tsunade yelled as she slammed her fist on the table. This made Shikamaru wince.

"Tenten…" He replied.

"Tenten? The one from Gai's team?" Tsunade said in surprise. She didn't see that one coming.

Shikamaru simply nodded to assure Tsunade that she was right.

"When?" She asked again.

"The other night. The night of the day she was released from the hospital."

"Why? Did she leave anything that informs us about her motive?" Tsunade asked.

"Well… She left three letters." Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Letters?"

"For her teammates. One for each." Shikamaru answered plainly.

"So you mean Neji, Lee and Gai. Did they receive them already?"

"Gai-sensei hasn't yet since he's still not back from his mission. Lee and Neji, on the other hand, have." Shikamaru stated.

"I see. Gai is on an S rank mission. It would probably take time before he gets back. What did those letters say?"

"I don't know. Neji was the one who found the letters. He ran into Hinata when we were looking for Tenten and told her to give them to Lee. He handed her two letters which means he already had his letter." Shikamaru explained.

"I understand. I want you to find out what those letters contain. We might get a lead on where she disappeared to." Tsunade ordered.

"W-What?" Shikamaru sighed.

"You heard me." Tsunade replied.

"B-But… Why me?" Shikamaru complained.

"Because you're the one who reported it and you're the only one here." Tsunade reasoned as she went back to reading her documents.

Shikamaru sighed as he headed for the door. Before he left, he heard Tsunade call out to him.

"I need it as soon as possible."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome…"

_(End of Flashback)_

* * *

"Um… No… Sorry Shikamaru." Sakura said.

"It's ok. Well… Could you get it from Lee then?" Shikamaru asked.

"I-I'm not sure… but I'll give it a try." Sakura said.

"Thanks…" Shikamaru said as he smiled. _"Whew! At least I don't have to do it!"_

"What about Gai-sensei's letter? Do you want me to get it as well?" Sakura asked.

"Hm… I guess so. Yeah." Shikamaru nodded.

"Ok. So how are you gonna get Neji's letter?" Sakura asked. This caused Shikamaru to tense up. He didn't want to face the Hyuga's wrath. From the reaction of Hinata after Neji spoke to her last night; the Hyuga prodigy was far from pleased.

"I-I'm… Sigh… Not sure yet." Shikamaru said in defeat.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Sakura tried to cheer him up.

"Maybe Lee and Gai-sensei's letters would suffice." Shikamaru stated.

"Oh ok then… I'll go back to Lee's room then." Sakura said as she headed back to Lee's room.

"Wait!" Shikamaru said as he raised a hand to block Sakura's way.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Should I wait for the letter here, right now?"

"Hm… Yeah. Just wait there. I'll hand them over in a few minutes if I can manage to get them from Lee that is…"

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Lee continued to stare at the ceiling. He's been that way ever since he read Tenten's letter. Right after he finished reading it, he fell backwards on the bed.

Sakura entered the room and looked at Lee with a worried expression.

"Lee… You know you should eat. Your condition will get worse if you don't." Sakura pleaded.

Lee didn't respond. He just continued to look at the ceiling as if he didn't hear her.

"Lee…" Sakura said sadly. Then her gaze fell on the two letters Lee was clutching with his hands. One was opened and the other was still sealed.

Sakura made her way to Lee's bed and sat beside him.

"What did you read that made you that way?" Sakura asked as she eyed the letter.

Still there was no response from Lee.

"I-Is it ok if I take a look?" She asked as she slowly moved her hand towards the letter.

When she finally touched it, Lee's hand stiffened and his grasp intensified.

"Please Lee. I just want to know why you're like this." Sakura asked softly.

"I-I want to help you. But you have to let me help you first by allowing me to understanding you." Sakura pleaded.

Lee's grip slowly loosened and Sakura was able to get the letters. She then began to read Tenten's letter to Lee.

_Lee,_

_Hey! How are you doing? Are you out of the hospital already? I'm guessing you aren't yet, am I right? Hehehe… Well, since you're reading this letter, I'm probably miles away from Konoha already. I know the question going through your mind right now. Why? Why did I leave Konoha? Well… Let's just say that something really important came up and that I had to deal with it. Don't worry! I'm not leaving because I feel guilty because of what happened to you! I don't want you to think of it that way._

Sakura paused a little. _"Maybe Lee feels that it's his fault why she left…"_ She then continued to read the letter.

_I'm not allowed to tell you what that 'something' is yet. Maybe you'll know when I get back. If I get back that is and if they will allow me to tell you guys._

She paused again. _"They? What did she mean by that? 'If they allow me to tell you guys?'… Does that mean that she's not alone?"_ Sakura thought as she continued to read the rest of the letter.

_I hope you aren't mad at me for leaving. I really didn't want to but I had to. It was my responsibility. It's something that only I could do._

Sakura scrunched her eye brows. What was this 'something' that she kept on saying? What did she have to do? And why did she have to keep it a secret?

_Well enough about me. Let's go to you. You've gotten really strong already. I envy you. Before, you couldn't stand a chance against Neji! But now, you can keep up with him. I'm impressed. To tell you the truth, you inspire me. You prove that ordinary people can equal geniuses with hard work! You're really someone to look up to. And I will really miss everything about you._

Sakura paused to wipe her tears. Everything was just so sad. When she cleared her eyes, she continued to read the rest of the letter.

_I'll miss your funny theatrics with Gai-sensei… I'll miss you obsession with training… I'll miss your speeches about youth… I'll miss your constant challenges to Neji… I'll miss seeing you in your favorite green spandex… I'll miss sparring with you… Like I said, I'll miss everything about you…_

Sakura wiped some more tears before she continued to read the letter. Her memories when Sasuke left the village came flooding back to her. She was reminded of him and all the pain she felt was renewed. She wiped her tears and scolded herself for being such a cry baby. This made Lee turn his attention from the ceiling to Sakura. His eyes widened as he looked at her crying as she read the message. She then continued to read it.

_You're a great ninja and I now that you can achieve anything as long as you set your mind to it! You're very determined, compassionate and industrious. You're kind, supportive and caring. I'm sure that you'll be one of the greatest shinobis of Konoha! No doubt about it!_

Sakura smiled at what she read. She wasn't close to Tenten but she now understood why Lee was. Just by reading this letter, she could tell that she was a very good person and that's why she's very important to Lee.

_Continue to aim high! I know you can do it! I'll always treasure our friendship. To tell you the truth, you're like a brother to me. You, Neji and Gai-sensei are my family. You guys loved me for who I am. For that I am very grateful. No matter where I am in the world, I will always cheer you on! All of you… Goodbye…_

_Tenten_

After Sakura read the letter, she raised her head only to see Lee looking at her. Sakura smiled a little. At last he wasn't looking at the ceiling anymore.

Lee sat up and continued to look at Sakura with an emotionless face. He looked as if he was dead.

Sakura then realized what he was doing. She placed her hands on Lee's shoulders and pulled him towards her in an embrace. This caused Lee's eyes to widen. He then heard her spoke.

"Lee… It's not good to bottle up all of your emotions. Stop trying to suppress them. It will only hurt you even more. If you need to cry then cry… I'm right here and I won't leave you."

After Sakura spoke, Lee couldn't stop tears from flowing from his eyes. He hugged Sakura back in a tight embrace. This made Sakura cry as well. She understood Lee's pain more than anyone. She knew how much it hurt when the one you care about leaves you.

Lee continued to cry as he finally began to speak.

"T-Ten-T-ten-s-san… Left… S-She… l-left…"

"I-It's ok Lee. Everything's gonna be okay. I'm here. I won't leave you." Sakura said as she tried her best to comfort Lee. He was crying like a baby and his body was shaking.

Sakura brushed his back to calm him down but it was no use.

"It's okay Lee. Let it all out. Just cry. Don't hold it in. It'll make you feel better."

And that was what Lee decided to do.

"_I'll cry and cry until my eyes fall out! I'll cry until I have no more tears left to shed!"_

* * *

Hinata knocked on Neji's door. It was already lunch time and he hasn't come out of his room since he arrived last night.

_(Flashback)_

"N-Neji-n-ni-s-san…" Hinata said in shock. It was around 12 midnight and Neji had just arrived. Hinata went out of her room for a glass of water. She never expected that she would see a drenched Neji looking really sad.

"Hinata-sama… Sorry if I scared you. I'll head for my room now." Neji said in a sad and quiet voice.

Hinata didn't know what to do. She never saw Neji like this ever.

As Neji went up the stairs, Hinata called out to him.

"N-Neji-n-nisan! A-Are you a-al-r-right?" Hinata asked him with worry.

Neji simply stopped climbing the stairs and nodded his head without even looking back. After doing the gesture, he continued to climb up the stairs.

Hinata watched as Neji climbed the stairs. Soon, he finally disappeared from her sight. She was worried about him. It was probably because of Tenten and the news that she left the village that made him really sad.

"N-Neji-nisan…" Hinata whispered as she stared at where Neji once stood.

_(End of Flashback)_

She continued to knock on his door but still there was no reply. Hinata decided to head back to the dining area to inform her father about Neji.

"So… Where is he?" Hiashi asked.

"H-He's not r-responding to a-anything I-I say…" Hinata sadly replied.

Hiashi let out a sigh.

"I'll go up there myself."

Hiashi stood up and headed for Neji's room.

"O-Otosan…" Hinata said as she followed him to Neji's room.

Hanabi simply looked at them and went back to eating. She didn't want to get involved in any of this.

"Neji… Neji open the door." Hiashi demanded as he knocked on Neji's door. Still, there was no reply.

"Open the door Neji." Hiashi said. He was getting impatient. He knocked on the door harder. However, there was still no reply. He suddenly forced the door opened.

"Neji!" He yelled. His eyes scanned the room.

Hinata peeked in to get a glimpse of Neji but much to her and her father's dismay, Neji was no where to be found.

"Hmp…" Hiashi simply said as he closed the door with the now destroyed door knob.

"N-Neji-n-nisan…" Hinata whispered. She wondered where he went.

* * *

Neji continued to look up at the sky. He's been doing that for hours now. He was sitting on a cherry tree branch looking at the sky and his eyes showed a feeling of sadness. He slowly closed them. He hated feeling that way. He hated it! He jumped down from the tree and meditated. He needed to get rid of everything he was feeling.

As he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift off, he slowly thought of all the events that had happened starting with their mission. He traveled back in time through his thoughts. He replayed the events over and over and analyzed them.

After two hours of meditation, he opened his eyes. The eyes that once showed sadness, now showed anger. Finally, one emotion had triumphed completely.

"If she leaves then she leaves… But she better not think that there is something left for her to come back to when she does return. From this day forward, she is nothing more to me than an insignificant person whose existence merely tangled with mine. Her disappearance will be the mark of the end of our relationship be it friendship, teammates or sparring partners."

Neji stated coldly as his anger intensified. He had cleared his mind. He was now sure that this was the right thing to feel and do. He has made his decision.

"If her decision was to leave Konoha and leave all of us, then my decision would be to forget her and her existence."

* * *

I wanted to say thanks again to those who continuously support me and my stories **"DRAGON SEAL" **and **"MINE"**… I so totally love you guys! I mean being a new author and all! It makes me really happy to know that you like my stories! Arigatou Gozaimasu! Till next time! MWAH!!

Oh and after the next chapter, **THE MUCH AWAITED TIME SKIP AND TENTEN'S ARRIVAL!!**

**DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW!!**


	15. Chapter 15

Here I am again... To those who reviewed in the previous chapters, thank you so so so so much!! So sorry if I bored you guys with the previews chapters but I promise! After this chapter, the fun begins! Oh and **SASUKE** appears in the next chapter too. Yipee!!

Without further ado, here's chapter 15!

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* * *

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**Chapter 15: The Beginning of Training**

At the AVATAR TEMPLE…

Tenten coughed out blood after her back collided with the stone wall for the umpteenth time. Her vision was slowly becoming blurry. Her surroundings were fading away. She rapidly opened and closed her eyes to make her vision clearer but it was futile. She tried to get up but her body wouldn't move. Thinking that pain would knock some sense into her, she bit her lip hard until blood came oozing out of it.

"_Damn it! I can't give up… I'm not beaten yet! Get up Tenten! Damn it! Get up!!"_

"That's enough Lucas…" Mifuyu said as she watched Tenten with concerned eyes.

"You didn't have to be so hard on her." Yue said as he narrowed his eyes at Lucas.

Lucas, however, ignored them as he continued to look at the struggling Tenten.

"So this is supposed to be our master?" Griselda said as she placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

"Griselda! How could you say such a thing?" Mifuyu said as she glared at Griselda.

"She's been away from her true family all this time plus her blood limits are sealed. What do you expect?" Yue said as he glared at Griselda as well.

"I call them as I see them." Griselda replied coolly.

"Why you…" Mifuyu said. She was about to charge at Griselda but Yue stopped her.

"There's no point in fighting." Yue said as he extended his left hand in front of Mifuyu to stop her from getting any closer to Griselda.

Mifuyu then sighed. She relaxed herself and went back to her original position.

"Whatever." Griselda replied uninterestedly.

The three then directed their attentions back to Tenten and Lucas. They've been fighting for a few minutes already to test Tenten's abilities. However, none of her attacks seemed to do any damage on him. Lucas' attacks, however, connected almost every time. He hasn't used his blood limit yet and thank God he hasn't or else Tenten would have been nothing but a pile of cinders.

"Get up." Lucas demanded coldly.

"_Jerk! What do you think I've been trying to do since the moment I fell down?!"_ Tenten's thoughts were at rage.

"Get up." Lucas repeated in a more demanding and threatening tone.

Tenten, with all the strength she had left, struggled to get on her feet. Her body was shaking and it harbored numerous cuts. After her arduous attempt, she managed to stand up but only BARELY.

"Is this all you've got?" Lucas said coldly.

Tenten glared at the fire expert with all her might.

"I-I'm n-not done y-yet…" Tenten replied shakily.

Lucas raised his sword once again.

"Then let us continue."

He was about to make a move when Yue and Mifuyu dashed in between him and Tenten to stop the fight.

"We've already seen her fight. We already know her strengths and weaknesses. We can already work with the knowledge we've acquired on her. There's no need to continue this." Yue whispered dangerously.

"If you continue this, she might die! She's already broken 4 of her ribs and not to mention the deep cut on her back and all the other cuts on her body. She's lost a considerable amount of blood already!" Mifuyu yelled angrily as she balled her hands into fists.

Lucas looked from Yue to Mifuyu. He then lowered his sword and placed it back on its case behind his back. Involving himself in a fight with them was the last thing he wanted.

"Very well…"

Lucas turned his back on the two and walked out of the training area.

As soon as he disappeared, Mifuyu quickly tended Tenten's wounds.

Tenten scrunched her eye brows in confusion as she slowly became more conscious and energized. She opened her eyes to see Mifuyu holding water. Tenten narrowed her eyes to get a better look on what she was doing with the water. Then, she realized that Mifuyu was healing her wounds with the use of the water.

"H-How are you doing that?" Tenten asked in disbelief.

"It's my blood limit. Let's just say that each element has a… Special… Package with them…" Mifuyu said as she thought hard on how to explain it to Tenten.

"What do you mean?" Tenten said. She didn't get it.

"Well… For me, I don't only control water, there's ice, mist, fog, clouds and anything with water. I can also heal. That's the special package of my element." Mifuyu said as she smiled.

"I see… Well, how about the other elements? What's their special package?" Tenten asked.

"In Griselda's case, she can talk to animals through her eyes and she can… Well… How can I put this? Understand her surroundings…" Mifuyu said as she looked up thinking.

"Talk to animals… Through her eyes? Understand her surroundings? I don't get it." Tenten asked in disbelief.

"Well, if she looks at them in the eyes, she can understand them. She could also relay her messages to animals. As for understanding her surroundings, she can sense vibrations on the floor and then she could tell whether there's an enemy close by or if we're being followed even though the enemy is still at a very far distance." Mifuyu explained.

"I see. And what about Yue?" Tenten asked.

"Yue… I honestly have no idea. Coz you see, of all the elements, his element has the most 'possibilities'." Mifuyu said.

"What do you mean by 'most possibilities'?" Tenten asked again.

"Well… It's simply because he can do anything with it. He could water bend using air bending because he can make water float in air, control fogs, mists and clouds too but his skills with water bending are not as good as mine of course. Why? Because it's a fake way of bending water. He could also do sand bending using air but it's not as good as Griselda's, which is the real thing. He can fire bend using air as well but as long as he has a source. After all, fires grow bigger because of Oxygen." Mifuyu explained.

"I see… And what about Lucas?" Tenten aked.

"He can bend lightning. Electricity in other words… He can make his own by separating the negative and positive chi in his body but he can also use the real thing." Mifuyu said.

"By 'real thing' do you mean…?" Tenten paused. She didn't want to believe it.

"Yes… The real lightning from the sky. He can redirect it by using his body as the passage and his hands as the input and output." Mifuyu said.

"B-But… Isn't that like… Dangerous?" Tenten said in shock.

"In his case, it isn't since he's already mastered it." Mifuyu said as she laughed at Tenten's baffled look.

"O-Oh… I see…" Tenten said.

"Needless to say, you'll have to master all of the elements. This means you have to master EVERYTHING that is connected to each element. Even the special packages." Mifuyu said as she smiled.

"S-Seriously?!" Tenten panicked. Mifuyu simply nodded as her reply.

"No way!" Tenten complained. This made Mifuyu giggle a little.

"There… I've healed most of you're wounds." Mifuyu said as she stood up.

Tenten inspected her body to check. All her injuries were gone and even her cracked ribs and the giant slash on her back were gone.

"You're amazing!" She said as she looked at Mifuyu in awe.

"All in a day's work. Now let's go. I'll show you to your room. You need to rest." Mifuyu said as she began to walk.

"Oh… Okay." Tenten answered as she followed Mifuyu.

When they arrived in Tenten's room, Mifuyu left. But before she did, Tenten asked her one last thing.

"Um… Mifuyu? I've brought a few clothes along but I was wondering if you had some more." Tenten asked shyly. Mifuyu inspected her outfit. After the five-day nonstop travel to the temple and the fight with Lucas, she was definitely in need of new clothes.

"Oh! Of course. Don't worry. I'm sure there are plenty of our traditional clan clothes here. I'll bring you one later." Mifuyu said and then she left.

Tenten made her way to the bed and sat on it. Her eyes then darted to her bag. She stood up and made her way towards it. She opened it and froze when she saw the picture of Team Gai on top of her things. She picked it up and smiled as she looked at their faces one by one.

"_I wonder how they're doing. It's been almost six days since I left the village. I'm pretty sure that they found my letters already. I wonder how they reacted…"_ Tenten thought.

She took the picture and placed it on top of a small cabinet beside her bed before she jumped on the bed. She needed some rest. The journey was so tiring and the match she had was still having a few side effects even though Mifuyu had cured her. Luckily it was only a few muscle and joint pains. A good sleep was all she needed.

Her eyes slowly closed. Soon, she began her journey to dream land.

* * *

"You know you went to far Lucas! She's just a kid!" Yue stated angrily a he argued with Lucas.

"She's a kid with a lot of responsibilities and she needs to grow up." Lucas argued back.

"Oh! So you plan on making her 'grow up' by almost killing her, is that it?!" Yue yelled back.

"She needs to toughen up! If she can't deal with something as simple as that then how do you expect her to carry on as the leader of this clan?!" Lucas answered.

"Yes she needs to toughen up but you need to know your boundaries! She's this weak because WE left her alone to fend for herself! She grew up with no family at all, not knowing who she was and where she came from! We even sealed her blood limits! Aren't you even surprised that she made it through this far all on her own? And now you mock her and make her work twice, thrice or even a hundred times harder?! You can't expect her to be unbeatable in a blink of an eye! That's why we're here to train her to make her unbeatable – train her in the BEST way possible for her. I know we don't have much time and we need to be quick about things especially her training but there is a difference between rushing and rashness!" Yue angrily scolded Lucas. He spoke so fast his pale face turned red.

Before Lucas could speak back, Mifuyu arrived at the scene.

"I just finished tending to heiress's wounds. I heard what you two were arguing about. I normally don't take sides but on this case, Yue is right. Lucas, you really shouldn't give her a hard time. We've gotta take things up slowly… Or else she might retaliate." Mifuyu calmly explained.

Lucas was about to speak but then Griselda cut him off.

"I understand what you're saying and I'm pretty sure Lucas does as well. However, my opinion on this matter is, we all have different ways or ideas on how our heiress should train. On your cases, Mifuyu and Yue, you want to train her slowly, carefully – surrounding her with love and security. However, in our cases, Lucas and I, we prefer the direct approach. No words of encouragement, no security and definitely no considerations." Griselda replied coldly.

"Oh… So you mean you'll do whatever type of training you want with her even if it hurts her?" Yue asked Griselda as he narrowed his eyes.

"Sometimes parents push their children of a cliff to make them stronger." Griselda simply replied.

"But this is our one and only heiress we're talking about! The last direct descendant of the main family… We need to take good care of her!" Mifuyu reasoned.

"If you keep on protecting her, she will never learn." Lucas replied.

"If you keep on hurting her, she will never want to learn." Yue shot back.

"Okay… Okay… Okay people! Since arguing amongst ourselves is absolutely POINTLESS and not to mention stupid, I have a proposal…" Griselda sighed.

"And… That is?" Mifuyu asked curiously.

"Needless to say, we all get the chance to train the heiress since she needs to know how to properly control all the four elements." Griselda began.

"Tell us something we don't know." Yue replied sarcastically. This earned him a glare from Griselda.

"As I was saying, since we all get a chance to train her, how about we just mind our own businesses?" Griselda finished.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked as his eye brows scrunched.

"I mean, whatever type of training the other uses is none of our business. If Mifuyu and Yue use candies, pink bunnies and fluffy clouds to teach her, it's none of our business. However, our method of training is none of their business as well. That way, we lessen arguments and reduce the risk of ruining our teamwork." Griselda explained.

Griselda looked at the three other people to seek their approval.

"Fine." Lucas was the first to answer.

"I'm not sure but if it reduces tension then… Okay I guess…" Mifuyu answered slightly unsure.

"I didn't know that you actually had a brain…" Yue answered. This caused Griselda's eye twitch.

"I DARE you to say that again and I'll make sure that you'll be eating through a straw for a whole month!" Griselda yelled as she raised her fist towards Yue face. Luckily, before they argued further, Mifuyu was able to restrain them.

"We will brief the heiress about the mechanics of her training tomorrow. We will follow the natural cycle. Air, Water, Earth and then Fire." Lucas said as he left to head for his room.

"That means you're the first Yue. Good luck!" Mifuyu said as she smiled at him.

* * *

Tsunade placed the letter of Tenten to Lee and Gai-sensei back down on the table. She turned her head to look at the three people she called to her office. It's been almost six days since Tenten left the village and they haven't had a single clue on where she disappeared to.

"Here are the letters that Tenten gave you Lee, Gai." Tsunade said as she handed the letters back to Lee and Gai. She already read them before but she decided to read them again just in case she missed something helpful like a clue to help them find Tenten but Tenten was very cautious with her writing. She didn't leave any clues for them to follow. Tsunade then turned her head towards Neji.

"And where is your letter?"

"It's been long gone." Neji simply replied.

_

* * *

_

_(Flashback)_

Neji sat meditating in front of the chimney of his room. He's been doing that for quite a long time already. Soon, he opened his eyes to stare at the burning fire. He seemed hypnotized by it. It made him feel calm and at peace.

After a few minutes, he stood up from his position and headed for his drawer. Before he opened it, his eyes fell upon his team's picture. His eyes narrowed in anger. He grabbed the picture and turned it face down. That way, he wouldn't have to see the face of his female teammate again.

He opened the drawer to reveal a white envelop. It was the letter that Tenten has given to him. He stretched his hand and took the note. He went back to his old position in front of the chimney with the burning fire.

He opened the note and read it once again. After a few minutes of reading, his eyes were filled with anger again. He looked at the paper with disgust. He immediately scrunched the letter. With one last look at the crumpled paper, he chucked it towards the fire. He watched the paper as it burned slowly but before the paper was fully engulfed by the fire, Neji was able to get a glimpse of the line _"I'll really miss you Neji…"_

He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see that cursed letter ever again. He refused to remember anything that was written on it. To Neji, the burning of Tenten's letter was his proof that he would forget about her existence and all his memories of her.

_(End of Flashback)_

* * *

"I… See…" Tsunade answered. She didn't want to push the matter further. It was obvious that the Hyuga prodigy didn't want to talk about it.

"I-I just can't believe she left!" Gai said as tears were flowing from his eyes like a river.

"Hai! Gai-sensei…" Lee answered as he wiped his tears flowing from his eyes.

"Our youthful flower… T-Tenten! Where are you!!" Gai said as he slowly sank to the ground…

"Gai-sensei!" Lee said as he sank to the ground as well. They both hugged each other and cried like little kids while they kept on mentioning Tenten's name.

Tsunade raised her eye brows at Gai as she sweat dropped. _"I know it's only natural that they feel sad and maybe cry but this is just ridiculous!"_ Tsunade thought.

Her attention turned towards Neji. He wasn't sad nor was he disappointed. He obviously wasn't on the verge of tears. But he seemed colder than usual. More emotionless… If that was possible… Tsunade was deep into her thoughts trying to understand Neji's behavior that she didn't notice that she was staring at him with her eye brows scrunched.

"Is there a problem, Tsunade-sama?" Neji asked.

"H-Huh? Oh… It's nothing…" Tsunade said as she pretended to cough.

"That's all that I wanted to talk to you about. You may now leave." Tsunade finished.

* * *

Tenten woke up. It was now morning. She slowly got out of bed. Her body was still sore from the travel and the match but she knew she had to get up. She was already awake so she might as well just get up. Soon, she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in…"

"Tenten? Oh it's good to see that you're awake. Come with me. We're going to have a meeting." Mifuyu said.

"Meeting? For what?" Tenten asked as she stood up and wore her shoes.

"We're going to brief you about training." Mifuyu answered.

"Oh… I see… It's going to begin now, isn't it?" Tenten asked as she headed for the door. Mifuyu simply nodded her head. Soon, they headed for the elders' meeting room.

When they arrived, Tenten looked in awe at the huge marble room filled with intricate designs and some precious stones. She stopped adoring the room when she felt a hand drag her towards a huge table. It was Mifuyu who dragged her. She was standing there looking like an idiot for quite sometime already so Mifuyu had to drag her.

Mifuyu motioned her to sit on one of the large marble chairs. When they were all seated, Lucas began to speak.

"Mifuyu must have informed you on why you're here."

"Yes… She told me that this was a briefing about my training."

"That's correct. I know that you already know that you have the blood limit to control the elements without hand seals or chakra." Lucas began.

"Yes…"

"But we haven't told you that before you learn how to use your blood limit, you must first learn the different techniques related to each element." Yue said.

"W-Wait… Don't tell me…" Tenten said as her eyes widened.

"Yup… You've gotta learn all the jutsus related to the elements…" Griselda said.

"In other words, the first part of your training is the old fashioned type – by using hand seals and chakra…" Mifuyu finished with a smile.

"B-But… Why?" Tenten complained as she sank in her chair.

"We need to keep our clan a secret. You can't use your blood limit whenever and wherever you please…" Lucas explained firmly.

"Then what's the point of teaching me if I can't use it?" Tenten reasoned.

"You can use it but only during life and death situations or only as a last resort." Yue said.

"Oh man…" Tenten complained.

"Your training will be long and hard. Unfortunately, we don't have much time left. We need to train you immediately. You need to learn how to control and maximize the uses of you blood limit as soon as possible." Griselda explained.

"You will have a lot of powerful enemies in the future and you need this to protect you." Mifuyu said.

"I know… I know… I get it." Tenten said as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, they seemed different. Her eyes that once showed defeat, now showed determination.

"When will I start training?" Tenten asked Lucas. This caused Lucas to smirk at Tenten's determination.

"It starts today, right after this meeting."

"Okay!" Tenten said as she stood up and balled her fists.

"_This is going to be hell! I just know it… But after this, I'll show Neji… I'll show Team Gai… I'll show the whole of Konoha… How fucking good I am!"_

"Your training cycle is AIR, WATER, EARTH then FIRE…" Lucas explained.

"Got it." Tenten nodded.

"Good. The meeting is now over. Yue…" Lucas called.

"Yeah?" Yue replied.

"She's all yours." Lucas said over his shoulder as he began to exit the room.

Tenten's attention shifted from Lucas to Yue.

"Are you ready?" Yue asked.

"More than I'll ever be." Tenten replied.

"Good. Now follow me. We're heading for the air bender's training area. Training starts now." Yue said.

* * *

That it people! Oh and don't forget to vote on **MY POLL** in what pairing you want… **NejiTen or SasuTen**… I'm still undecided people… So as long you still have time, VOTE NOW and VOTE WISELY!

Check out my NEW **SasuTenJi **story** MINE!!!**

PLEASE LEAVE A **REVIEW**! MWAH!!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys! Tadai ma! Did I spell that right? Hehehe… I think it's Japanese for "I'm back"… Okairi or something is for "I'm home" so I'm assumed that that was… well that! Hahaha!

Anyway, I'm back with chapter 16… Tenten's back in Konoha!! DUNDUNDUNDUN! Dattebayo! What's gonna happen?! How will she convince Tsunade to allow her to go back to the village? How will her former teammates react?! And who is this person that's supposed to be her replacement? Hahaha! So many questions! Just read the chapter to find out!

Oh! And you guys might be wondering why the recap wasn't the end of chapter 15… It's simple… I LOVE this part so I made it the recap! I was blown away by it when I reread chapter 15… I was like "O.O"?! I can't believe I made it!! Hahaha! Unreal!! Even I was impressed!! Hehehe… How weird is that?! I was impressed by my work… That never happens!!

U-Uhem… Well… So without further ado, here's chapter 16!

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**Chapter 16: The Return**

The cold breeze blew softly as the leaves of the trees danced gracefully with it. The moon, together with a few stars, was still visible in the eerie night sky. But that would not be the case for long. The sun would soon rise with its vivid light devouring all darkness in its path – creating a new day filled with new hopes and new opportunities.

But just moments before the almighty sun fully ruled the sky to bathe the earth with its glory; five silhouettes walked the path of darkness hoping to somehow reach the light at its end. For days they have endured the adversity of traveling with only one goal clearly set within their minds. They were determined to start a new journey. But this time, they would no longer walk in the midst of darkness. They would tread a new path – a path lighted by rays of hope and opportunities for a new beginning.

"O-Oi Kotetsu… Look!" Izumo said as he looked at the five silhouettes approaching the gates of Konoha.

"What is it Izumo?" Kotetsu said as he yawned. They've been guarding Konoha's main gate all night and he was quite tired and sleepy.

"Who are those?" Izumo said his eyes narrowed.

"Where?" Kotetsu said as he turned his head towards the direction where Izumo was looking.

"Right there…" Izumo whispered dangerously as he pointed his finger towards the silhouettes.

There were five people in cloaks with hoods approaching Konoha.

"C-Could the be… The Akatsuki?!" Kotetsu panicked.

"What?!" Izumo panicked as well. His eyes widened to take a better look. After a few seconds, he glared at Kotetsu and scolded him.

"What's the big idea scaring me like that?! Akatsuki members have black cloaks with red clouds!! Take a better look!"

Kotetsu leaned more to get a better look. The five people were indeed wearing cloaks but only one of them wore a black one. The person that was leading the way was the one wearing a black cloak however; it didn't have red clouds on it. It was just plain black. One wore a red cloak, the other was blue, and then there were green and yellow ones as well.

Also, there was a strange looking bird that was perched on the right shoulder of the person wearing the black cloak. It had red feathers with different shades of orange, yellow and red on some parts. They've never seen any bird like it. The way its feathers were arranged on the top of his head made it look like the bird had long spiky hair. It also had a long tail with hints of orange, yellow and red as well. It gave quite a majestic feel. Kind of like royalty…

"Besides, the Akatsuki has already been disbanded. Or did you forget?" Izumo added.

"I know that!" Kotetsu defended. "But because of the ruckus they made, I can't help but think of them whenever I see people in cloaks!"

Kotetsu and Izumo left the guarding station and stood in front of the gate of Konoha. They weren't going to let strangers get in their beloved village. No way.

"Don't let your guard down Kotetsu. I have a bad feeling about these people." Izumo warned.

Kotetsu nodded as he readied himself for battle.

"I'm guessing since they had enough guts to walk right through the gate, they must be pretty confident of their abilities."

Soon, the five people in the different colored cloaks reached the gate.

"This is as far as you can go." Kotetsu threatened as he narrowed his eyes.

"State your names and your purpose…" Izumo ordered as he narrowed his eyes as well.

"I'm here to return to my village. Together with a few friends of course…" The person in the black cloak said.

"Y-Your village?" Kotetsu stuttered in surprise.

"Yes." The person in the black cloak responded plainly.

"And you expect us to believe it just like that...?" Izumo incredulously asked.

"Hm… I suppose so… Yes…" The person in the black cloak replied again.

"_Who does this idiot think he is?! Don't tell me that he honestly thinks that we'll let him in with his so called 'friends' just like that?!" _Kotetsu thought.

"Oh Right! How stupid of me! Of course you guys won't let me in…" The person in the black cloak replied with amusement in the tone of her voice. "Don't worry Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san… I have proof." The person in the black cloak added.

Izumo's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Y-You know our names?" Kotetsu voice out. He too was surprised.

"Uh-huh… You guys have been the newly appointed guards of this gate when I left this village. I see that you guys still are! You must be dong a really good job." The person in the black cloak complimented. By the way she sounded, she seemed quite happy.

"What the hell are you saying?! How did you know that?!" Izumo yelled.

"Just who the hell are you?!" Kotetsu added.

Suddenly, the person in the red cloak drew out a very huge sword and pointed it towards Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Watch your words." He said threateningly.

Izumo and Kotetsu prepared for battle.

"Stop it. We're not here to fight." The person in the black cloak said as she rose in right hand.

The person in the black cloak brought her hand back down after the one wearing the red cloak returned his sword to its sheath.

"Gomen Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san… Don't worry. I have something that would make you think otherwise." She said as she placed her hand in a bag.

Kotetsu and Izumo immediately geared themselves up for battle once more.

"_Damn… What is she getting?! A smoke bomb? A tranquilizer? Poison?" _Izumo thought.

"_This is bad…"_ Kotetsu panicked. _"We need to inform the Godaime!"_

Kotetsu and Izumo both tensed up as the person in the black cloak slowly retrieved an item from the bag. To them, it seemed as though it took her hours to get her hand out of her bag. Even their heartbeats were so intense.

When she finally got her hand out of the bag, she extended it towards the two guards and showed them the item that she had taken from the bag. What they saw made their eyes grow big.

"That's!" Izumo gasped in surprised.

"A Konoha… Forehead protector…" Kotetsu finished.

"That would be correct." The person in the black cloak said as she removed the hood that covered her face.

Kotetsu and Izumo's eyes grew even bigger when they sew the face of the person in the black cloak. She was a very beautiful woman. However, her hair was placed in two buns, which made her seem childlike.

"Hello. I am Tenten. It's nice to finally be back." Tenten cheerfully smiled at the two guards of Konoha's gate. This caused them to blush slightly.

"T-Tenten…" Izumo said in disbelief.

"Y-You're the one from Gai's team…" Kotetsu added.

"Oh! I'm glad you guys haven't forgotten about me. As for the four people behind me, they are friends of mine. I guarantee you, they will not cause Konoha any harm." Tenten assured.

"Sorry." Izumo apologized. "Even if we do know you, we still can't let you in." He added further.

"EH?! Why won't you let me in?" Tenten complained.

"You've been gone for so long. We can't be assured that you won't harm Konoha." Kotetsu said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Are you questioning my mistress?!" The person in the green cloak inquired as she narrowed her eyes at the two guards.

"Yes. And you can't blame us for it." Izumo firmly stated.

"Why you-" She was about to charged at the two guards for disrespecting Tenten but luckily, someone stopped her.

"Griselda." Tenten whispered dangerously. "Stop."

When sure that Griselda was detained, Tenten spoke once more.

"I understand why you won't let me in. At least I know that Konoha's been in good hands for the past three years. I do have a favor to ask though."

"And what is that?" Kotetsu inquired.

"Could you inform Tsunade-sama of my arrival?" Tenten asked.

"What?" Izumo disbelievingly replied.

"That way would be the best solution to this problem…" Tenten said as she smiled.

"As much as we want to, we can't leave our posts. Besides, how are we assured that this isn't a trap?" Izumo questioned once more.

This time, the person wearing the yellow cloak answered.

"If we wanted to get in the village to destroy it then we should have knocked you guys out centuries ago. That would be easier than trying to convince you to let us in…" He then paused to emphasize a point. "WAY easier…"

"What did you say?!" Kotetsu yelled.

"Yue, stop it." Tenten warned as she gave him a glare.

Tenten looked at the two gatekeepers once more.

"Then Flare will give Tsunade-sama my message." Tenten said as she raised her elbow to have the strange looking red bird move onto it.

"I'll simply right a letter, have Flare deliver it and then we wait here for Tsunade-sama's reply." Tenten summarized as she brought out a piece of paper and a pen and then scribbled a few things on it.

"No way! How do we know that that bird isn't some bomb or whatever that could hurt our Hokage!" Izumo yelled.

Tenten laughed out loud at this.

"Flare? A bomb? That's ridiculous!" Tenten paused to wipe a few tears in her eyes. "Besides, why would I kill Tsunade-sama?! She's my one and only idol! Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san, please don't make this so hard on me. I just want to get back to the village. And… Well… See all of the people that I left behind…" Tenten said as she looked at the floor sadly as she rolled the paper.

"T-Tenten-sama…" Mifuyu whispered sympathetically.

Tenten gave the rolled letter to Flare as she looked into its eyes. Flare then immediately flew up and took the letter using its feet and then flew away towards the Hokage tower.

(AN: In case you guys forgot, Tenten and Griselda can relay their messages to animals just by looking at them in the eyes. It's included in the 'special package' of the element 'Earth'.)

"Hey! Wait!" Kotetsu yelled after the bird.

"Just wait here Kotetsu-san. I promise you that I have absolutely no idea and intension whatsoever to kill Tsunade-sama or harm this village. I swear." Tenten said as she looked into Kotetsu's eyes.

"_Her eyes are telling the truth… Maybe she really is here to go back to the village…"_ Kotetsu thought.

"If something happens to Tsunade-sama…" Izumo warned.

"Then you shall have my head." Tenten stated bluntly as she looked at Izumo's eyes seriously.

"T-Tenten-sama!" The four cloaked beings stated in surprise.

"Don't worry. I'm betting my head because I'm a hundred percent sure that nothing will happen to Konoha or to Tsunade. I would never harm them no matter what." Tenten said confidently.

After a few minutes, Flare arrived back. Tenten extended her arm for the bird to land on it. She then looked at its eyes and then she smiled.

"Tsunade-sama is already sending someone to fetch me and my friends." Tenten said as she smiled.

"N-No way…" Izumo said in disbelief.

Kotetsu didn't believe it at first but what happened next was enough to convince him.

Two of Tsunade's personal Jounins arrived at the scene.

Genma, one of the two Jounins, spoke.

"Tsunade-sama summons you to the Hokage Tower."

Tenten simply bowed her head politely. She then directed her attention back to Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Sorry for all the trouble we caused you. I guess I should have had Flare relay a message before we arrived so that we could have avoided this." Tenten apologized. "We'll be leaving now…"

Tenten smiled at the two guards one last time before she then turned her back on them and followed the two Jounins to the Hokage tower.

"Let's go everyone…"

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Tsunade was anxiously waiting for the arrival of Tenten and her four 'friends'. She had already sent out two of her personal Jounins to fetch them.

Tsunade glanced at the letter that the strange red bird gave her and read it again.

_Good morning, Tsunade-sama! It's me, Tenten. The girl from Gai-sensei's team that left the village three years ago? Well, I am currently outside the gates of Konoha with four of my friends since Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san wouldn't let us in. I need to talk to you about a lot of things. Some help would be very much appreciated. Thank you._

Tsunade knew she shouldn't have accepted them in so rashly without having any idea what their business in Konoha was. But something inside her was dying to know why Tenten had left the village. She never really had any idea why. In fact, no one did.

If Sakura had left the village, that wouldn't have surprised Tsunade as much as Tenten leaving Konoha. She always looked so happy and contented. Who would have known she was going through things that were complicated enough to have resulted to her leaving the village?

After Tsunade finished reading the letter, a knock was heard on her door.

"_Could it be?"_

She immediately placed the letter on her table and ordered the person to come in. She was tensing up. The door was talking a lot longer than usual to open.

"_Darn door! Open already!"_

When the door finally opened, it was only Shizune who had come. She was holding a cup of tea and a few documents for Tsunade to read.

"I've brought you some tea Tsunade-sama. Oh and these just dropped in. They're reports from the ANBU about the remaining members of the Akatsuki. Even though they've disbanded and even though only a few of them remain, they still continue to cause trouble individually." Shizune explained but she paused when she saw the looked Tsunade was giving her.

"Damn… I thought it was her!" Tsunade sighed as she leaned on her chair.

"Her?" Shizune eyed the Hokage questioningly.

"I was talking about Tenten…" Tsunade elaborated as she drank her tea.

"T-Tenten? The one from Gai's team? Why would you think she'd be the one coming in?" Shizune said in surprise and confusion. "Don't tell me… She's back!?"

Tsunade simply nodded her head.

"I received this letter from a strange red bird. It was from her." Tsunade said as she handed Shizune the letter.

"Strange red bird?" Shizune asked as her eye brows scrunched.

"J-Just forget it…" Tsunade said. She didn't want to explain to Shizune what she meant. As Shikamaru would put it, it's too troublesome.

Shizune quickly scanned the writings on the paper. After she finished reading, she handed Tsunade back the letter.

"What are you planning to do?" Shizune asked as she placed Jiraiya's report on the Hokage's table.

"What else? I'm going to talk to her." Tsunade stated plainly as she slurped her tea.

Shizune could only nod.

"Oh… And I have something that I want you to do…" Tsunade added.

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

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Tenten continued to follow the lead of Tsunade's personal Jounins. Behind her were her four senseis.

Tenten observed her surroundings. They were going to arrive at the Hokage tower soon. She let out a nervous sigh as she tried to calm herself down.

This was it. She was back to the village. After three long years, she was finally back.

She was fourteen when she left, and now, she was seventeen. Gone was the irresponsible and incompetent child. This time around, there was no more relying on other people. She'd use her own strength to protect herself and all the other people she cared about. She trained long and hard – enduring every painful moment. No more stupid mistakes. No more getting other people hurt. No more incompetence. And most of all, no more need to be saved. She was different now. She was unstoppable.

Tenten smirked. This time, she could really prove to people her one true belief: Kunoichis could be as good as or maybe even better than shinobis in battle.

Soon, they arrived at the Hokage Tower. They all went up the stairs and headed for Tsunade's office. As much as Tenten hated to admit it, she was really nervous. After three long years, she was going to see her idol again – the woman who inspired her to no end, the woman that proved that even kunoichis can be strong and most of all, the first female 'Kage' ever in history.

"_You have to relax Tenten."_ Tenten mentally slapped herself. She needed to impress Tsunade no matter what.

She then noticed the two Jounins she was following stopped. It was only then that she realized they were already in front of the Hokage's office.

Tenten began to panic. _"What to do? What to do?"_

Her train of thought was cut short when she felt a hand over hers.

"Relax Tenten-sama… It's going to be alright." Mifuyu whispered.

"T-Thanks… Mifuyu…"

"Tsunade-sama is waiting for you inside." One of the two Jounins spoke as he glanced at Tenten.

Not soon after, the two Jounins had turned to leave.

"Let's go everyone…" Tenten said as she held the door knob. She closed her eyes and clutched it tightly, slightly hesitating. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her eyes.

"_This is it. You can't turn back now."_

She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door.

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**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!**


	17. Chapter 17

I'M BACK WITH CHAPTER 17!!

Do you guys know what today is?! IT'S APRIL 23!! And what about April 23?!

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! WHEEEEE… SWEET 16!!**

Damn… I still wanted to stay 15… Man!!

College is getting closer and closer!! June 10… Start of Classes!! OH MAN!!

Hehehe… Well, I hope you guys will continue to support this story!! I can't wait to right the part where Tenten's gonna take the Jounin exams!! Dattebayo!!

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews guys! I got more than a hundred now! Thanks!! Really guys!! Thanks a lot! I'm so happy!!

Without further ado, here's chapter 17!!

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**Chapter 17: The Appearance of the Sharingan**

Tsunade was reading a few documents while she sipped her tea. It was about the remaining former members of the Akatsuki. Only a few remain but each was causing trouble one way or another. However, she immediately stopped reading when she heard one of the two Jounins she sent out to fetch Tenten speak from the other side of the door.

"Tsunade-sama… We've brought them."

Tsunade brought down her tea and let out a sigh.

"Let them in."

Tsunade placed the files she was reading to one side as she waited for her 'visitors' to enter.

Tsunade watched as the door knob slowly turned. After hearing a 'click', the door slowly opened.

"_This is it…" _ Tsunade thought.

After a few more seconds, the door fully opened to reveal a person in a black cloak with a hood that covered her face. The person went into the room and headed towards Tsunade's table. The person was followed by four people in red, yellow, blue and green cloaks with hoods as well. The strange red bird was perched on the shoulder of the person wearing a green cloak.

"_Which one of them is Tenten?" _Tsunade thought as she scrunched her eye brows.

When the person wearing the black cloak was only a meter away from Tsunade's table, she got down on her right knee, placed her right hand on her heart and then bowed her head. This made Tsunade's scrunched eye brows rise as her eyes grew big.

"_W-What the hell…" _Tsunade thought.

"_Tenten-sama…" _Mifuyu thought in surprise.

"_She never bows down in front of anyone…" _Yue thought in surprise as well.

"Hmp…" Griselda grumbled.

The person in the black cloak then removed her hood.

"It's nice to see you again, Tsunade-sama… I'm finally back." Tenten said as she raised her head and smiled at Tsunade.

"T-Tenten…" Tsunade whispered. She was still in a bit of shock. Realizing that she was in some sort of trance, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Stand up Tenten. You don't need to bow down."

"As you wish, Tsunade-sama…" Tenten replied as she stood up.

"Let's get down to business then." Tsunade stated.

"I understand." Tenten replied as she turned around to look at the four people with her.

"You guys can show your faces now."

The four of them then removed their hoods.

Tenten looked back at Tsunade and introduced them one by one.

"Tsunade-sama, these four people are the people whom I've been with for the last three years. They served as my senseis."

"_Senseis?! Why so many?" _Tsunade thought.

"I see… And what have you been doing for the last three years?" Tsunade asked.

"Training…" Tenten answered.

"Training? With the four of them I suppose?" Tsunade asked again.

Tenten nodded as she looked at the four people behind her seeking for their approval of something. Lucas then nodded his head.

Tenten faced Tsunade again to tell her the real story.

"Tsunade-sama, I know that you don't trust me. I understand that. But that's why I'm here – to tell you everything that has happened to me for the past three years." Tenten paused. "However, there is one condition…"

"And that is?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"You must never and I mean NEVER speak of what I am about to tell you to anyone. Or else… There will be… Consequences…" Tenten said firmly, pausing every once in a while to emphasize her point.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. _"Consequences?"_

"And when I say consequences, they're more on our part than yours, Godaime-sama." Tenten added.

Tsunade sighed and leaned on her chair.

"I understand. I'm ready to listen."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The person, who knocked, however, didn't wait for a reply whether he/she could come in.

All of them turned their heads towards the door to see a woman enter the room.

"Shizune." Tsunade said casually.

"Oh! I see they're here already…" Shizune paused to glance at the guests in the room. "I've done what you've asked me to do."

"Good." Tsunade said as she looked at Tenten.

"I've asked Shizune to look for a suitable house for you and your friends to stay in." Tsunade replied. Tenten's eyes lit up.

"R-Really?" Tenten was in complete and utter shock. "T-Thank you, Tsunade-sama… I will not betray your trust!"

"_I can't believe this! She trusts me?"_ Tenten was really touched by how much Tsunade trusted her. It was beyond her expectations

"Now, I want to speak with you alone." Tsunade replied.

"Oh…" Tenten said in surprise.

"I will have your four friends be escorted to your new home." Tsunade added.

Tenten looked at her four senseis as they looked at one another as well.

"Sorry everyone but I think you guys have to go. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll be there shortly." Tenten told them as she smiled.

"But…" Yue was about to protest but Tenten cut him off.

"Now go."

Yue glanced at the rest of the three wishing for them to protest as well. Unfortunately, no one made a move to contradict their mistress further.

"Understood." Lucas answered briefly but firmly as he bowed at his mistress.

Soon, they went out of Tsunade's office leaving Tenten alone with the fifth Hokage.

"You did that so that the two of us could talk alone, right Tsunade-sama?" Tenten replied sadly.

"_For a minute there I thought that Tsunade-sama trusted me…"_

"Yes but I also did it because I trust you. I know that you won't try to harm Konoha." Tsunade replied. This caused Tenten's eye to light up.

"Now tell me everything." Tsunade ordered.

Tenten nodded.

"I will begin three years ago when I was confined in the hospital after my last mission with Team Gai…"

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After a few minutes of talking, Tenten finished her whole story, not leaving even a single detail out.

"That's all… Tsunade-sama…" Tenten replied as she looked at a bewildered Tsunade.

"_Elements? The sage of the six paths? Avatars? Uchiha Madara?!" _Tsunade thought as she tried her best to let the entire information sink in.

"And you are absolutely sure that what your four senseis say is true?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask. She just couldn't bring herself to believe any of it.

"My senseis are a lot of things, but they're definitely not liars. But I understand why you don't believe me. Who would?" Tenten began laugh but then she immediately stopped when she saw Tsunade's eye twitch.

"B-But I wasn't joking! All I said is true! If proof is what you want, then I'll give you a demonstration…" Tenten said as she raised her hands up in defeat.

"That would be much appreciated…" Tsunade replied as she tried her best to get rid of her irritation.

Tenten then opened her right hand. A ball of flame was on it. She then stamped her foot to raise the ground that she was standing on by at least one meter. She then took what was left of Tsunade's tea and drew it near her face. It formed into a mini statue of her and then it turned into ice. She now opened her mouth and blew. This caused a lot of papers to fly around the room. Tsunade raised her hands to avoid the wind.

Tenten, seeing the damage that she was causing, used her powers to return everything back to normal. Well, almost everything except for the fifth's hair. It was a mess! It was starting to look like Sasuke's gravity-defying hair only it was longer.

"I-I'm sorry Tsunade-sama!" Tenten said as she bowed her head in apology.

"Forget it." Tsunade said as her eye twitched on more. She simply tried her best to fix her hair.

After a few seconds, Tsunade's hair was neatly tied in a pony tail once again.

"I believe you now." Tsunade assured.

"Is there any identifying mark that differentiates an Avatar from other people?" Tsunade asked.

"You mean like for the Hyuga's the white eyes and the Uchiha's the Sharingan?" Tenten asked in return. Tsunade simply nodded to answer her.

"No. But when I enter the avatar state, my eyes light up and it turns completely white…" Tenten said.

"Avatar state?" Tsunade asked with her eyes narrowed.

"It's a state that I subconsciously trigger when I'm angry or under a lot of emotional pressure. I still haven't learned how to properly control it yet. When I enter that state, I have no control over my body and I destroy everything in my path." Tenten paused as she looked at the shocked expression on Tsunade's face.

"I try my best to prevent it though! During my three years of training, they only removed the Dragon Seal they put on me during the last year of training. I had to learn all the jutsus related with the different elements first before they would remove my seal. They said that I needed to be a lot stronger first before they remove the seal or else there would be a big chance that I would be devoured by my own powers." Tenten paused again to look as Tsunade as she motioned for Tenten to continue.

"After my seal was removed, I went into the avatar state. They were right. I still couldn't control my powers well. The four of them managed to stop my rampage. However, when I woke up, I saw that four of them were bloody and battered. That was the first time I ever went into the avatar state but that wasn't the last." Tenten said as she looked at the ground sadly.

"I see…" Tsunade said as she nodded her head. She didn't want to ask anymore regarding that matter seeing that Tenten was already in pain just by remembering it. She decided to change the topic.

"You said that your father was the late Uchiha Madara, right?" Tsunade asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"_If she's an Uchiha, then she must have the Sharingan…"_

"Uh- huh but I'm not sure. That's what my mother told my four senseis…" Tenten said.

"Do you have the Sharingan?" Tsunade asked straightforwardly.

"Oh right! The Sharingan…" Tenten said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Well? Do you have it?" Tsunade asked impatiently. Tenten simply smiled at her.

"What?!" Tsunade snapped.

Tenten began to walk towards Tsunade with her head bowed.

"_What is she planning?!" _Tsunade tensed.

"How about I just show you?" Tenten said as she leaned towards Tsunade's with her hands on the edge of the Hokage's table.

She leaned closer until her head was only five inches away from Tsunade's. She then raised her head which caused Tsunade's eyes to widen in surprise.

Tsunade gazed into the two red orbs looking intently at her. Before she knew it, she was traveling through time in her mind. She was able to see the highlights of the things that Tenten went through for the past three years.

Tsunade was sweating and breathing hard. The genjutsu she was in was so intense. She could see the terrible things that Tenten went through in training. She even saw Tenten in her avatar state. She panicked a little since it all the events seemed so real. It was as if she was there with Tenten and her four companions.

Suddenly, the door burst wide open.

"Tsunade-no-baachan!!" Naruto yelled followed by Sakura, Sasuke, Neji, Sai, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru.

Tenten immediately withdrew her Sharingan as she quickly stood up straight.

"_Shit…"_

"Tsunade-sama! Are you alright?!" Sakura panicked as she looked at the fear stricken face of Tsunade.

"Oi! Who the hell are you and what were you doing to Tsunade!" Naruto yelled furiously as he pointed at Tenten.

"_Time for my escape…" _Tenten thought but her eyes widened in shock when she felt Tsunade grip her right wrist.

"Godaime-sama? What's the meaning of this?" Tenten whispered as she narrowed her eyes.

"I called them here to welcome you back." Tsunade answered which caused Tenten to look at her in shock once again.

Neji narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth and clenched his fists while Lee stood there in shock. There was no doubt. They both knew who that girl was. Though she looked different, they could tell it was her through her chakra. Plus, there was one more thing made her recognizable: Her signature BUNS…

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Well… That's the end people! Sorry if it was crappy and short!! I was like I don't know… My inspiration is low right now… Sorry! But I'll do my best in the next chapter! I promise!! Plus I still gotta get away from my mom's 360 degrees vision!! She says I use my laptop too often and is out to confiscate it PERMANENTLY. Honestly! Sometimes I think she has the Byakugan!

**DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW!! MWAH!!**


	18. Chapter 18

I'm like so totally pissed right now! Why you ask?! Because I wasn't able to find a nice SasuTenJi story!! It's so irritating… I was hoping that I could find a nice one so that I would be inspired to write my stories but NO!! I was so totally disappointed… Some of the SasuTenJi stories that I thought was nice are no longer being updated!! HMP! And because of this people, I am going to continue to write!!

It's just so irritating when you like a story and then the author won't continue it… It's like "DAMN YOU!! Why'd you write it if you weren't gonna continue it anyway!? You just left us hanging!!"…

I'm happy that I continued this story! Even though I didn't have a lot of reviewers at first, I still continued it! And look, now I have a lot of reviewers and readers!! So what is the lesson we've learned today people?

**WHEN YOU START SOMETHING, GO ALL THE WAY AND FINISH IT UP UNTIL THE END!!**

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**Chapter 18: The Reunion**

"Oi!! I'm talking to you! Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing to Tsunade!" Naruto yelled again.

"Shut up Naruto!" Tsunade yelled. This surprised Naruto.

"B-But Tsunade-sama…" Sakura argued but she stopped when Tsunade glared at her.

"Let go…" Tenten whispered as she tugged her wrist attempting to break free from Tsunade's iron grip.

"I called you all here today for one reason…" Tsunade began.

Tenten started to panic.

"_Damn it! Let me go!! I have to get out of here! I'm not yet ready to meet everyone yet!!"_

"Everyone… Please welcome Tenten back to Konoha." Tsunade finished as she struggled to keep her iron grip on Tenten's wrist intact.

The moment Tsunade finished her sentence, Tenten froze on the spot.

Neji and Lee stiffened right after they heard her name.

Soon, the room was filled with murmurs and whispers.

"There's no use trying to escape. I already told them." Tsunade whispered to Tenten.

"Tsunade-sama…" Tenten said as she looked at Tsunade worriedly.

Tsunade slowly released her hold on Tenten.

"Now go and face them." Tsunade commanded.

Tenten bowed her head in defeat as she slowly turned her back to Tsunade to face the people behind her.

"_Damn… I wasn't planning on meeting everyone today! What do I do now?"_

Finally, she was facing them. She politely bowed at them as she greeted them.

"N-Nice to see you all. I'm back…"

Suddenly, she felt someone hug her. She raised her head to see Sakura.

"Welcome back…" Sakura whispered.

Then, Ino, Hinata and Naruto went near her to welcome her back as well. Tenten was taken aback by their hospitality.

"Well, I guess we should welcome her back as well, Shino." Kiba smirked as he went towards Tenten.

"I suppose so…" Shino replied as he followed Kiba.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru said as he slightly smirked and went towards the rest of them.

"Munch… Munch… Welcome back Tenten!" Chouji yelled enthusiastically as he ate his chips.

Tsunade smiled at the scene unfolding before her eyes. But her smile didn't last long. It slowly faded as her eyes narrowed at the four people who were still standing on one side of her office not caring about what she had told them.

The four people were Sasuke, Neji, Lee and Sai.

Sasuke was bored and uninterested. Sai simply just looked at the scene emotionlessly.

"_It's understandable for Sasuke and Sai since they didn't have a close connection with Tenten… However…"_ Tsunade thought as her gaze shifted towards Lee and Neji.

Lee was looking at the floor sadly. His fists were clenched as his body was slightly shaking. Neji, on the other hand, was glaring towards Tenten's direction. Tenten hasn't noticed it yet since she was surrounded by a lot of people and because of the fact that Chouji was covering Neji and Lee making them impossible for Tenten to see.

"_What's wrong with those two?" _Tsunade thought.

Soon, the people that gathered around Tenten slowly moved away to give Tenten some air. Then, at that moment, Tenten caught sight of Neji and Lee. Her breath was caught in her throat as she looked at Neji's intense glare at her.

"Oi! Neji! What the hell's your problem?" Naruto yelled.

"Lee? Aren't you going to welcome Tenten back?" Sakura asked.

Neji intensified his glare at Tenten. Tenten couldn't meet his eyes. Lee, however, still wasn't raising his head. He was still looking at the floor. His big eyes were being shielded by his hair.

Neji closed his eyes and headed towards Tsunade as he spoke.

"If this is all that you called us for Tsunade-sama, I will leave now." Neji said as he turned around and headed for the door.

"Stop." Tsunade commanded. Neji turned around and looked at Tsunade again.

"You haven't welcomed her back yet." Tsunade said irritated. Neji blinked as he shifted his gaze from Tsunade then back to Tenten.

"Welcome back." Neji stated plainly and emotionlessly as he opened the door.

Lee finally raised his head and looked at Tenten sadly as he spoke.

"Welcome back…"

Lee then followed Neji's lead as they went out of Tsunade's office.

After the door closed, Tsunade's office was filled with silence.

Naruto and the others simply looked at Tenten with worry and pity.

Tenten was looking at the floor sadly. Tears were threatening to fall but she tried her best to stay strong.

"_Don't you dare cry!"_

She knew that this day would eventually come sooner or later. Besides, she already expected something like this to happen. But she didn't know it would hurt so much.

"_Pull yourself together!" _Tenten scolded herself. _"You are a ninja. Ninjas aren't allowed to show their emotions."_

With that thought in mind, she was able to prevent herself from crying.

"T-Tenten-sempai…" Hinata whispered.

"Tenten… Are you alright?" Ino asked.

Tenten slowly raised her head. She looked at all of them again with emotionless eyes. This surprised some of them.

Not soon after, Tenten smiled.

"Thanks for the greeting guys!" Tenten said cheerfully.

"Tenten…" Sakura said knowingly.

"You know, you don't have to act like it's nothing…" Shikamaru added.

"Act like what's nothing?" Tenten asked curiously.

"Don't act dumb…" Ino said.

"Come on… You know what we're talking about…" Kiba said.

"If it's about Neji and Lee… I'll have you guys know that I already anticipated this." Tenten said as she crossed her hands and closed her eyes.

"What?" Chouji asked.

"Well, I already knew that this would happen. I've 'mourned' for this moment for the past three years. So you guys don't have to worry about me. I'll deal with them. Somehow…" Tenten said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"_She seems so different…" _Sakura thought.

"_Before she left, she was so weak… She easily cried over things especially when it concerns her team… Now, she's changed…" _Ino thought in surprise.

"_Tenten-sempai… You've gotten stronger… I know it…" _Hinata thought as she smiled.

"Thanks again for welcoming me. I'll invite you over to our house for dinner sometime! And then I can introduce you to some friends of mine." Tenten said enthusiastically.

"Friends?" Kiba asked.

"You mean you're not alone?" Chouji asked.

"Yup! I'll introduce them to all of you some other day or so…" Tenten said as she faced Tsunade.

Tsunade looked a bit guilty. She didn't expect the Hyuga prodigy and Gai's apprentice to act that way.

"_What did you do now Tsunade?"_ Tsunade scolded herself.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama…" Tenten said as she smiled. This surprised Tsunade a little since she expected that Tenten would be mad at her.

Tsunade could only nod.

"Well, that's all. You guys can leave now." Tsunade stated as she directed her attention back to the files and papers on her desk.

The rest of them bowed slightly as they exited the Hokage's office.

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Outside, in one of the busy streets of Konoha, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Naruto, Kiba, Shino, Sai, Chouji and Shikamaru were walking.

Sasuke went somewhere else. Where he went? No one knew.

Ino and Sakura were looking a bit down so Naruto asked them what was wrong.

"OI? What's the matter?".

"Yeah… You guys look like you're ready to attend a funeral." Chouji added as he munched on his chips.

Ino and Sakura sighed simultaneously.

"It's just that… Sasuke-kun is back in the village but…" Sakura started.

"He rarely even hangs out with us!!" Ino complained.

"Jeez… Maybe because he doesn't like to be around someone like you…" Shikamaru sighed. Ino then grabbed him by his Chuunin jacket and yelled at him.

"What the hell did you say!? And why would Sasuke not want to hang around someone as beautiful as me?! You should be saying that to forehead girl over there!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, PIG!?" Sakura yelled at Ino.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Ino yelled back as she released her hold on Shikamaru to glare at Sakura.

"Calm down you guys!" Chouji said as he looked at the villagers looking towards their direction.

"Hmp! Sasuke-teme… He's probably just training somewhere!" Naruto said a little jealous that his rival still had girls ogling him after so many years that he's been gone.

"That's one of the reasons why Sasuke doesn't hang around you both. You're both too troublesome! Plus you guys always jump on him! Who wouldn't be freaked out by your actions?" Shikamaru said as he pocketed his hands.

Sakura gasped in disbelief.

"Oh yeah? And how about you?! You think the whole world is troublesome! You're too lazy to do anything! Ha! You're lucky that I actually even hang around with you." Ino said smugly.

"That's my line…" Shikamaru said as he entered a barbeque shop.

"Why you-" Ino said as she charged towards Shikamaru only to be stopped by a smiling Sai.

"I think it would be better if we all just got along…" Sai said.

Ino blushed a little. "O-Oh, I guess you are right!" Soon, she completely forgot about her anger towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru, seeing the scene between Ino and Sai, grunted in disgust.

"_Honestly… What does she see in guys like them?" _Shikamaru thought as he shook his head.

Tenten entered the shop with Hinata. They managed to find a large table that could accommodate them all. After they sat, they began to chat.

"So, what's been happening since I was gone?" Tenten asked.

"Hm… K-Kurenai-sensei had her baby already…" Hinata said.

"R-Really?! Who's the father?!" Tenten said in surprise.

After she said her question, Hinata's face fell.

"What's the matter?" Tenten asked.

"A-Asuma-sensei is the father…" Hinata whispered.

"Ah!? ASUMA-SENSEI?! Where are they?! I have got to congratulate them!" Tenten said in quite a loud voice.

Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino tensed as they heard their sensei's name.

"Ssshhh…" Hinata panicked.

"Huh? Why? What's wrong?" Tenten asked quietly.

Sai, Naruto and Sakura then sat beside them.

"A-Asuma-sensei… Already passed away…" Naruto whispered. This caused Tenten's eyes to grow big as her mouth fell.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Tenten apologized as she bowed her head.

"It's okay Tenten. You didn't know." Sakura comforted.

"Is it okay… If I… Well, ask… How?" Tenten asked hesitantly.

"An Akatsuki member named Hidan killed him…" Shikamaru said as he seated himself comfortably on a chair with his eyes closed.

"Sh-Shikamaru…" Tenten stuttered.

Suddenly, the mood of the whole group fell.

"_Great! Way to start a conversation Tenten… Go and change the subject idiot!"_ Tenten thought.

"S-So… Ho did you guys manage to bring Sasuke back?" Tenten asked.

"Well, after he killed Orochimaru, Deidera and Itachi, of Akatsuki, we were able to track him down." Naruto began.

"We took care of his three teammates and we all fought against him. Team Kakashi, Team 8 and Team 10." Sakura finished.

"Really? You mean you all fought him?" Tenten asked quite surprised.

"Uh-huh… And we fought him right after his fight with Itachi." Kiba said.

"He must've be quite exhausted. Now that wasn't a fair fight!" Tenten said as she joked.

"Yeah. It definitely wasn't but thanks to the odds we were able to bring him back." Shikamaru said.

"I see. And he's just okay with all of that?" Tenten asked.

"He's done his one and only task as an avenger. He has nothing left to do but try his best to rebuild his clan." Shino spoke.

"Uh-huh!! And I'll be his future wife!" Ino added.

"Yeah right!! Like Sasuke would want a pig for a wife!!" Sakura yelled as she laughed.

Before they knew it, the two Sasuke obsessed freaks were battling it out.

"Just ignore them." Shikamaru said irritated.

"I'll do my best…" Tenten laughed.

"Oh! By the way, I don't believe we've met." Tenten said as she turned her attention towards Sai.

"Oh! Right! Sorry! We kinda forgot to introduce you…" Naruto said.

"It's okay. Hi! I'm Tenten… You are?" Tenten asked.

"My name is Sai. Nice to meet you, Tenten-san." Sai said politely.

"Likewise…" Tenten said as she smiled at him.

"H-He's your replacement…" Hinata said. This made Tenten freeze.

"M-My replacement?" Tenten asked surprised.

"Yes. I am currently in Team Gai. I used to be Sasuke-kun's replacement but since he's back, Tsunade-sama ordered me to take your place instead." Sai explained as he smiled.

"I see…" Tenten nodded as she scrutinized Sai.

"_My replacement, ey? Well at least it's not a girl…"_

"Oh and by the way…" Shikamaru said.

"Hm?" Tenten asked.

"What are you planning to do on the up coming Jounin exams?" Shikamaru asked.

"J-Jounin exams?" Tenten asked.

"OH! That reminds me! I need to train harder!! It's just in a week from now!!" Naruto panicked.

"I see…" Tenten paused as she thought for a while.

"_There's something about her… That I don't like… She's hiding something…"_ Sai thought as he looked at Tenten.

"If you ask me, you should wait for the next Jounin exams so that you have time to prepare." Chouji suggested.

"Hm? Nope. I don't think I will… I'll take it." Tenten said.

"Really?! You will?" Ino asked in shocked as she and Sakura paused from their cat fight and went back to their seats

"Yeah." Tenten said as she smiled.

"A-Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

Tenten simply nodded her head, her smile never leaving her lips.

"Even though you only have a week to prepare?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"I guess I'll have to make do with it…" Tenten said as she looked at all of their faces. It was like as if they were saying "Are you crazy woman?! Taking the exams just like that?!"

"Don't worry! I'll just take it for fun…" Tenten added.

"F-For fun?" Hinata asked incredulously.

Tenten nodded.

"You're crazy…" Shikamaru whispered.

"Yeah…"

"Couldn't have said it better…"

"Uh-huh…"

"Yup…"

"You can say that again…"

"Couldn't agree with you more…"

Tenten sweat dropped at their reactions.

"What?" Tenten asked she raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders.

Soon, their orders arrived. They happily chatted and ate the day away for soon, the Jounin exams would start. And needless to say, those exams are far from enjoyable.

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**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!!! MWAH!!**


	19. Chapter 19

Hey!! I'm back!! Here's chapter 19 people!

Ehem… Well, thanks for the reviews guys!! I appreciate it!! I can't believe you guys actually stuck to this story!! I'm so touched and flattered and happy and giddy and excited!! I actually got 55 reviews in the previous chapter!

I'm currently in Manila… I'm gonna have to learn all the routes and detours to my new college… University of the Philippines Manila!! Man! I'm like soooo super nervous!! I can't believe I'm going to college! Damn… I finished elementary at 11 years old… High School at 15… And now college!! Whhhaaaa!! I'm not ready yet!! I don't know if I can do it!! And UP Manila is like the home of all geniuses!! Wherever you turn, they're all smart!! Man… It's really so intimidating!! Hmp!! I hope I can make it through!!

Anyway, enough about my boring life… Here's chapter 19!!

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**Chapter 19: Joint Training**

"What?! What do you mean 'no more training'?!" Tenten yelled as chewed food went flying out of her mouth.

"EEEWWWW!!" Griselda yelled as she ran towards the sink.

Yue laughed out loud at her reaction. She just happened to be the unlucky person sitting in front of Tenten when Lucas announced that there would no longer be any training.

"Tenten! Don't talk when your mouth's full!" Mifuyu said in disgust.

Lucas had his eyes closed as he sighed at her childish behavior. Yue was still laughing his butt off.

"What do you mean 'no more training'?!" Tenten yelled again completely ignoring Mifuyu's advice. But this time, she already swallowed whatever food was left in her mouth.

"The Jounin exams are in two days. You need to rest. We've trained for the past five days already. You don't want to be too exhausted during the Jounin exams now would you?" Lucas sighed.

"B-But!! There's still so much things I don't know!" Tenten reasoned.

"That's not true. You've mastered a lot of the different jutsus of each element already and you're already getting used to your two blood limits." Mifuyu said as she glared at Yue who was STILL laughing his butt off.

Griselda arrived back at the table and hit the back of Yue's head hard. Yue stumbled forward and his face landed on his plate. It was now Griselda's turn to laugh out loud.

"Stop it you two!" Mifuyu scolded them as she tried her best to stop the two from fighting.

"Ignore them." Lucas said to Tenten as his eye twitched. Even though they've been together for quite a while already, he still couldn't get used to their antiques.

"Okay. Okay. How about we train one last time today and tomorrow will be the day off?" Tenten asked Lucas with hope-filled eyes.

"No. End of conversation." Lucas said flatly as he closed his eyes.

"Man…" Tenten sighed as she ate the last of her meat ball soup.

After eating, Tenten stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked.

He was the only one who noticed because the three were still in the middle of an all out battle royal.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." Tenten lied.

"Then why do you have your complete weapons arsenal with you?" Lucas asked as he raised an eye brow at her.

"Well… That's!"

Tenten tried her best to think of an excuse.

"Don't train anymore." Lucas warned. He knew she was stubborn.

Tenten stiffened a bit.

"I know. I know."

Tenten immediately left their house to avoid further interrogations.

"Huh? Where's oujo-sama?" Yue said as he paused for a little from their battle. He finally noticed that Tenten left.

(AN: I'm not sure with the spelling but 'oujo-sama' in English means 'my lady'. It's a title given to a high ranking woman as a form of respect. They use it to refer to Tenten since she's of the main family and they're just of the branch.)

Griselda and Mifuyu followed Yue's lead and stopped as well.

"Yeah. Where'd she go?!" Griselda asked Lucas.

"Since you guys were too busy to notice, she went out for a 'walk'…" Lucas emphasized the last word.

"I bet she'll go train again." Mifuyu sighed. Lucas nodded in response.

The three of them sat down on their chairs and continued to eat their breakfast.

"Honestly… She's so stubborn." Griselda said.

"Yeah… She got that from you." Yue replied.

"Oh just shut up!" Griselda yelled.

"Now. Now." Mifuyu said as she raised her hands at the two. When they finally calmed down, Mifuyu directed her attention to Lucas.

"When will we let her sign the contract?"

"What contract?" Lucas asked feigning innocence.

"You know what I mean Lucas. The contract with the dragons…" Mifuyu said.

"Oh yeah… When?" Griselda asked Lucas as well.

"I'm not sure if the dragons are ready to accept her." Lucas reasoned.

"When will we let her sign then?" Yue asked.

"I'm not sure." Lucas answered.

"Oh come on Lucas! I'm sure they'll accept her." Mifuyu reasoned.

"Yeah… Remember that technique she did when you were fighting with her Lucas? The one named "Soshoryu"?" Griselda asked.

"Yes."

"That was composed of two smoke dragons that hid her two scrolls! Even though she's been far away, deep in her heart, she still had a connection with the dragons. That's enough proof that she's worthy."

Lucas simply sighed.

"Fine. We'll let her sign the contract with the dragons after the Jounin exams." Lucas sighed.

"Alright!!"

"Yes!!"

"She'll finally be able to summon them!"

"But… We need to speak to our dragons about it first. We need to ask them to help us convince the other dragons that Tenten is a worthy person." Lucas said.

"Hm… My water dragon is kind hearted. She'll accept Tenten for sure." Mifuyu said with confidence.

"I think my wind dragon would accept her too." Yue said.

"I don't think the Earth dragon would though…" Griselda said as she looked at the ground.

"Neither will the fire dragon…" Lucas said as he closed his eyes and folded his arms on his chest.

"Hm… Looks like you two have quite a problem." Yue said as he smirked at the two.

"Good luck." Mifuyu cheered.

(AN: If you guys didn't get it, if Jiraiya had the frogs, Tsunade had the slug and Orochimaru had the snakes… Tenten's clan had the dragons… More details will be given after the Jounin exams!)

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Tenten walked around aimlessly around town browsing one shop after the other as she ate her ice cream. She wasn't really in the mood to shop with the Jounin exams fast approaching. She needed to train but if the four of them found out she did, she'd never hear the end of it from them.

"What to do… What to do…"

"Oi!! Tenten!!"

Tenten turned around to see Naruto running towards her direction waving his right hand. On his right was Sakura and on his left were Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Oh… Hey Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, Uchiha…" Tenten cheerfully said.

"Yo…" Kakashi said. He stopped reading his book to glance at Tenten.

She looked at the Copy Ninja incredulously when she realized what he was doing.

"_He's still reading that perverted book?! Wait… It's colored green now… Before it was orange…" _Tenten thought._ "It must a new book! Doesn't he get tired of that?!"_

Tenten continued to give Kakashi a weird look.

"Hello!" Sakura answered cheerfully but all the while she was looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke wasn't able to hear Tenten's greeting because he was too busy trying to ignore Sakura.

"Where are you going Tenten?" Naruto asked.

"Hm…" She paused to think. "Now that you mention it, nowhere in particular…" Tenten answered as she sweat dropped. She had no idea where she would go or what she would do.

"Why aren't you training?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh… That… Well… I was gonna but… I-Uh… Have no one to train with!" Tenten lied. She couldn't tell them about her four senseis after all.

Sakura was still trying hard to get the Uchiha prodigy's attention.

"Ah… Would you like to train with us?" Naruto offered.

"Oh no! I couldn't possibly intrude!" Tenten said hoping that they would still insist. She was just being polite and all but she really wanted to train.

"It's okay. It's no big deal. But if you don't want to-" Kakashi began but Tenten cut him off.

"Okay I'll go!" Tenten yelled enthusiastically. This caused Kakashi to sweat drop.

"Great! We're having a joint training session with Team Gai!" Naruto said.

Tenten stiffened a little. _"Why the hell didn't you say that earlier?!"_

"Oh!" Naruto gasped. His realization was too late. He completely forgot that she wasn't in good terms with Lee and Neji.

"If you don't want to then…" Naruto shyly began. He felt guilty about mentioning them to her.

"No. I'll go." Tenten said as she smirked and closed her eyes.

"A-Are you sure?" Naruto asked again for assurance.

"Yup. I'd love to see how they've grown." Tenten said as she reminisced on their training sessions before.

"Okay then! Let's go!" Naruto yelled.

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Soon, Team Kakashi with Tenten arrived at Team Gai's training grounds.

Lee and Gai were sparring in the middle of the clearing, Neji was meditating under a tree and Sai was sitting on a tree branch drawing.

"Oi! We're here!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically.

"Oi! Kakashi my eternal rival! You're finally he-" Gai stopped speaking when his eyes landed on the girl whose hair was in two buns. His mouth slowly fell and his eyes grew big.

Tenten smiled when her eyes caught sight of her old sensei's reaction.

"Nice to see you again. Gai-sensei…"

"T-T-Tenten?! T-Tenten?! It's really you!" Gai yelled as he ran towards Tenten and gave her a bear hug.

"ACK!! G-Gai-sensei… Can't breathe…"

"Oh! Sorry…" Gai said as he released his hold on her. He was crying a river. This made Tenten's eyes soften but she didn't allow herself to cry. Crying was for weaklings and she was far from weak now.

"_At least there's one person in Team Gai that's actually happy that I'm back…"_

Neji continued to meditate as if he didn't hear anything. Lee, on the other hand went towards the other end of the clearing to fight with a tree.

Sai looked at Neji and Lee's reactions. Being one who was not used to having emotions, he was confused.

"_Aren't they former teammates? I heard they were close. So why are they ignoring her and acting like they don't know her?"_

"Gai-sensei… You still have training to do." Tenten said as she placed a hand on Gai's shoulder telling him to stop crying.

Gai suddenly stood up straight. All the tears in his eyes were gone in an instant as he gave her his good guy pose.

"Of course! One must never put off training!"

Tenten smiled at him. If she were her old self she probably would have sighed at her sensei's childish actions. But as much as she hated to admit it, she really missed that.

"Yosh! Sai, Lee, Neji… Assemble." Gai commanded.

Tenten took this chance to move away from the clearing to look for a tree to rest under. After all, this was a joint training for Team Kakashi and Team Gai and she was not a part of either team. Not anymore…

"Tenten? Where are you going?" Gai asked.

"I'm going to rest under a tree." Tenten said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"REST?! Aren't you gonna take the Jounin exams?! No slacking off! Get back here!" Gai ordered.

"W-What?!" Tenten said in disbelief. But deep down inside, she was really touched by her sensei's actions and words.

"Gai-sensei…" Lee complained.

"This training session is for Team Kakashi and Team Gai. She doesn't belong to either. So she has no right to train with us." Neji stated plainly.

"NEJI!" Gai scolded.

"He's right Gai-sensei." Lee added.

"Lee…"

Gai looked at Lee with disbelief.

Sakura looked at Tenten pitifully and then she turned to glare at Neji and Lee.

Naruto moved towards Neji and pull the part of his shirt that covered his muscular chest.

"What the hell is your problem?!"

Neji slapped Naruto's hand away from his shirt.

"This is none of your business." He warned.

"Wasn't she you're teammate?! Then why are you treating her that way?!" Naruto pushed on.

Neji ignored him.

Pissed, Naruto went to charge at Neji but Kakashi stopped him.

"Naruto! This is training. Don't pick fights."

Gai turned towards Lee and Neji to scold them.

"What's wrong with you two?! I'm very disappointed!" Gai paused. "She used to be your teammate! At some point of your lives, you three were one! This isn't how you should treat her!"

"Hmp…" Neji grunted.

Lee avoided his teacher's gaze.

"Well?" Gai demanded.

Neji and Lee simply walked away from Gai and went back to what they were doing. Gai was about to yell at them again but Tenten cut him off.

"Thank you Naruto, Gai-sensei… But it's okay. I've had enough training already and I'm sure I'm ready for the exams." Tenten said confidently as she smiled. She didn't seem to be affected by Neji's harsh words.

Tenten then went back to look for a perfect tree so that she could finally rest. After a few steps, a hand was on her shoulder.

Tenten looked back to see Gai.

"If they don't want you to join the training, then I will train with you."

Tenten looked at Gai-sensei in disbelief. Why was he being so nice to her when she just left like that without a word?

Tenten could feel her eyes water but she stopped herself. She wasn't going to cry. No way in hell…

Tenten closed her eyes and laughed. This made the rest of them look at her weirdly.

"Thank you for the offer. But I think Lee wouldn't like that." Tenten said as she tilted her head towards Lee's direction.

"I told you. I'm not joining… I'm just gonna watch or maybe sleep." Tenten said as she placed her right index finger under her chin pretending that she was deep in thought.

"Then how about I spar with you?"

Tenten turned to look at the person who spoke.

"Oh?" Tenten asked as she raised her eye brow. This would indeed be interesting.

"Huh?! Are you sure?!" Naruto yelled in disbelief as he eyed Tenten's challenger with disbelief.

"Yup."

Tenten smirked as she closed her eyes. This would be fun.

"Okay then… I accept your challenge."

"Then you better be prepared."

Tenten opened her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. She still had a smirk on her face.

"Yes. Kakashi-sensei…"

Kakashi kept his book and smiled at Tenten.

Tenten was about to walk towards him but she stopped when she saw Gai sulking in a corner.

"G-Gai-sensei?!"

"You turn down my offer to train but you accept my rivals??"

"_Oh man… Gai-sensei's sulking…"_ Tenten thought as she sweat dropped but then she thought of a nice excuse.

"W-Well… T-That's because I'm afraid to fight you Gai-sensei! I figured the chances of me defeating Kakashi-sensei are higher than my chances defeating you!" Tenten reasoned as she smiled.

"Oh?" Kakashi said as he raised her eye brow at her.

Naruto, Sai and Sakura looked at her surprised while Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. There was just something about her that he didn't quite like. It was though she was hiding something.

Gai suddenly regained his confidence back. In fact, he was so over confident that he was practically glowing. His body was surrounded by even more sparkles.

"Of course! Of course! How could I not have thought of that?" Gai said as he laughed out loud.

Tenten smiled at him and headed towards Kakashi.

"So you think you can defeat me, ey?" Kakashi said as he crossed his arms.

"Hey, I never said that!" Tenten paused as she raised her hands up in defeat.

"_If I use my blood limits, I can beat you hands down. But, since I'm not allowed to… It's a 50-50 chance…" _Tenten thought as she analyzed her current situation.

"Hm?" Kakashi crossed his arms in front of his chest as he eyed the bun-haired girl accusingly.

"Well, let's just say that I've got a chance…" Tenten added as she smiled at Kakashi.

"Oi Tenten! Don't be so smug! Sakura-chan and I double teamed against him once and we only managed to beat him because we pretended we knew the ending of his perverted book and that we'd spoil the ending for him. So he covered his ears and closed his eyes and we were able to get the two bells from him." Naruto explained.

"Two bells?" Tenten asked.

"It's a form of training Kakashi-sensei makes us do wherein you need to take the bells from him in order to win." Sakura added.

"Would you like to try it?" Kakashi asked.

"Are the bells hidden?" Tenten asked.

"No. It'll be tied to my waist." Kakashi said.

"Then it's easy." Tenten said as she eyed him weirdly.

This made Kakashi laugh.

"It's easy ey? Then how about you try it?" Kakashi challenged.

"But then that won't be much of a challenge…" Tenten answered.

Naruto, Sai, Sakura looked at her weirdly while Sasuke looked at her with his eye brows scrunched.

"_What's with this girl?"_ Sasuke thought. If he compares Kakashi to himself, he was definitely stronger no doubt. But when he compared Kakashi to Tenten, it was as if Tenten didn't stand a chance. But there was just something about her that made Sasuke uneasy. But he just didn't know what it was.

"Hmp… Then let's see you prove it then." Kakashi said. He was slowly being irritated by her arrogance.

"Okay! Lead the way…" Tenten said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Gai watched as Kakashi and Tenten headed to the middle of the clearing. He then directed his attention towards Lee, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke. They would all take the Jounin exams too. Needless to say, Sai was from the ANBU root so he didn't need to take the exams. As for Neji, he was already Jounin and he would take the ANBU exams soon. Sasuke didn't need training since it was obvious that he would pass it hands down. It was down to Naruto, Sakura and Lee.

"Let's go train then." Gai said as he looked at the four who would take the Jounin exams.

"Um… I think I'll stay a bit to watch what'll happen." Sakura said. She really wanted to see what would happen.

"Me too! I wanna see how she matches with Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto agreed as he yelled.

Sasuke didn't speak but he was looking at Kakashi and Tenten as well so Gai assumed that he wanted to watch as well.

Lee, Sai and Neji's attentions were also on the pair in the middle of the clearing.

Gai sighed. He too wanted to see this battle. After three years, he was going to see Tenten fight again. He was really curious on how she's grown and what she could do.

Tenten glanced at the remaining people in the training grounds much to her dismay.

"_Hm… There are spectators…"_

Tenten sighed.

" _Guess I can't use ninjutsu… Since some of them are participating in the exams, it's best that I hide my abilities and surprise them later. That way there's a chance that they won't be so cautious when they fight me."_

Tenten directed her attention towards Kakashi. The Jounin was tying two small bells on his waist.

"_Looks like I'm gonna rely on my weapons and my speed. I guess I can show them my speed. After all, I need it if I'm going to fight Kakashi-sensei."_

Tenten began to analyze her situation again.

"_This will be tough. Only taijutsu, weapons and speed ey?"_

Tenten couldn't help but grin. Excitement was getting to her.

"_Let's see how well I do against a former ANBU captain with only those three things as my weapons…"_

Tenten watched as Kakashi pointed towards the two small bells tied to his waist.

"Here. All you have to do is take these from me and you win."

"Wait… That's all? I don't have to knock you out or something?" Tenten asked in disbelief. This would be a lot easier than she thought.

"Yes. But don't think it'll be that easy." Kakashi said as he secured the bells beside his waist further.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked, challenging Tenten with his gaze.

"Ready…" Tenten answered with a brief nod.

Soon, the fight began.

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To all of my **DRAGON SEAL** readers, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORYENTITLED **MINE!! **It's a SASUTENJI!!

Well, aren't the main characters of my stories always Sasuke, Tenten and Neji… :-)

**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! MWAH!!**


	20. Chapter 20

SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!! I HAD TO FINISH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MY ENROLLMENT IN MY NEW COLLEGE AND I JUST GOT BACK TO THE PROVINCE!! SO SORRY!

I'm back with chapter twenty!! Thanks again for all the reviews!! I'm so happy that a lot of people read my stories and that a lot of them like it too OH and that some even bother to review!!

To those who review THANK YOU SO MUCH… There would be no more updates if you guys didn't review!! Hahaha!

Finally! It's here! The chapter you've been waiting for!! Chapter 20: KAKASHI vs. TENTEN! Hehehe!!

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**Chapter 20: Kakashi vs. Tenten**

The match begun. Both fighters prepared for an attack.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei… Aren't you gonna use your Sharingan?" Tenten asked.

"I don't think I need to." Kakashi smugly replied. It was payback for what Tenten told him before.

Tenten could only smile.

"You'll use it… I bet you will…" She assured as she closed her eyes, smirked and placed her hands on her hips.

"_Now's my chance!"_ Kakashi thought.

He then charged towards her. After he blinked, she was gone! He then sensed her behind him.

"_She's fast!"_

He immediately turned around just in time to block Tenten's kick to his face with his right hand. He was about to get a hold of her ankle but she disappeared again almost instantly. Before Kakashi knew it she was already behind him ready to kick the living lights out of him again.

"Damn! When did Tenten get so fast!?" Naruto said in disbelief.

"Yeah…" Sakura whispered.

Sasuke, Sai and Neji continued to watch the fight unfazed while Lee on the other hand was quite surprised.

"_She's as fast as I am!"_

Kakashi turned around and got hit in the face.

"_Gotcha!!" _Tenten thought smugly as she smirked.

Her smirk, however, faded when she heard a very familiar sound.

POOF!

On the floor where Kakashi landed was a log.

"Replacement technique ey?" Tenten sighed.

"Oh Kakashi-sensei? Where are you?" Tenten began to call out dramatically. She had both her hands beside her mouth and she was yelling sweetly.

Tenten then began to giggle. Of course she knew where he was! Thanks to her blood limit that is… Earth…

"Why is she laughing?" Sai asked with his eyes narrowed.

"I have no idea." Naruto answered as he scratched his head.

Tenten then made an oh-so familiar hand seal.

"Kagebunshin no jutsu!" Tenten yelled.

"Gasp… She can do that technique?" Sakura said wide eyed. That technique was of Jounin level. Even she couldn't do it yet.

Soon, there were ten Tentens on the clearing.

"You know what to do everyone…" One Tenten said.

"Yeah…"

"Gotcha!"

"No sweat…"

Soon, there was only one left in the middle of the clearing. All nine went out to the trees to look for Kakashi.

"Hey! Why'd she stay behind?! It's gonna be obvious that it's her!" Naruto said.

"Idiot…" Sasuke whispered.

"What did you say?!" Naruto yelled as he raised his fist towards Sasuke's direction.

"NARUTO…" Sakura warned. She was emitting an intense murderous killing intent.

Naruto swallowed hard as he looked at the threatening look Sakura was giving him.

"Let me explain…" Sai offered.

"Okay…" Naruto said as he looked at Sai.

"The Tenten left there in the middle of the clearing, as far as we know, may not be the real one. That could only be a trap to lure Kakashi-sensei out. There's a huge possibility that it could be a bunshin." Sai explained.

"Oh… I see…" Naruto said as he nodded his head a couple of times.

The Tenten in the middle of the clearing had her eyes closed but she was smirking.

"_Kakashi-sensei… I know where you're hiding…"_

She slowly raised her hands up to rest them on her hips.

"_Now, let's wait for you to come out… I'll give you a BIG surprise…"_

Kakashi glanced at Tenten's form in the middle of the clearing.

"_There's no doubt. That's the real Tenten."_ Kakashi thought as he prepared himself for his assault.

"Where is he?!" Naruto shouted impatiently.

As if on cue, a hand came out from under the ground where Tenten was standing. Tenten, feigning surprise, immediately jumped up in the air and threw 10 exploding notes on the ground wherein two notes managed to stick to Kakashi's hand.

The spectators of the match jumped backwards to avoid the explosion as they raised their hands in front of them for protection.

BBBOOOOMMMM…

Naruto coughed as he stood up slowly.

"What's happening now?" Sakura asked.

"I can't see a thing!" Gai-sensei answered.

Lee, Neji, Sai and Sasuke each stood on a branch of different trees.

The smoke slowly cleared and they were able to see Tenten leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

"Since when did she get so good?" Naruto yelled as he pointed an accusing finger towards Tenten.

Gai was crying as he mentioned 'youth' and how the 'bud' has grown into a 'beautiful youthful flower'.

"_Tenten-san…"_ Lee was really impressed on how good she's gotten.

Sai, Neji and Sasuke remained unfazed.

"_If this is all she can do after three years… Then she still hasn't improved that much…" _Neji thought as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Tenten finally pushed herself of the tree, unfolded her arms and opened her eyes.

"There you are."

Tenten looked at the worn out figure of Kakashi in front of her. She was very amused. He wasn't hurt by the explosive notes though. He just looked a little stressed. But this time, Tenten saw his Sharingan. She smirked.

"I told you to activate your Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei. You shouldn't hold back you know. You could get hurt. Underestimating your opponent is one of the most fatal mistakes a ninja could make. Ne? Kakashi-sensei…" Tenten said as she smiled at him.

"Hai… Hai…" Kakashi sighed.

"_I can't believe I'm being lectured…I never should have underestimated her…"_ Kakashi thought. He used the Sharingan to get himself out of that sticky situation and so that he could still live another day with complete body parts. Besides, he refused to lose to Tenten. There was no way he'd be beaten as easily as that.

Tenten, however, didn't give Kakashi enough time to rest. When the smoke totally disappeared, Kakashi was surrounded by Tenten's bunshins.

All of them jumped into the air as the whole clearing up to some parts of the forest was covered in smoke.

"Soshoryu!!" The bunshins simultaneously yelled.

Tenten sighed. She wanted to use her other techniques but she really didn't want any of the spectators of the match to see it. She wanted to keep them until the Jounin exams so that they wouldn't know what to expect of her if ever she was matched against any of them.

Kakashi's eyes widened a bit as he watched hundreds of weapons head towards him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in chorus.

They watched in horror as the weapons pierced their sensei's body.

"No! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted.

After the bombard of weapons had ceased and the smoke had cleared, they saw Kakashi standing in the middle of a pile of weapons. His body was housing quite a lot of weapons as well.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Kakashi-sensei! You killed him!" Naruto yelled at Tenten as he pointed an accusing finger towards her.

Tenten sighed.

"I didn't kill him Naruto… Look." Tenten said as she tilted her head towards Kakashi.

POOF!

It was just a bunshin.

"I can't believe you thought that he'd die that easily Naruto!" Sakura scolded.

"But you also got worried about him too…" Sai told Sakura which caused her to blush because of embarrassment.

"Now where are you Kakashi-sensei?" Tenten called.

"_It's over…"_ Sasuke and Neji both thought. Sasuke grunted as Neji closed his eyes.

"_Looks like play times over… I can't afford to play around with her any longer."_ Kakashi thought.

"Come on out… I have-" Tenten was cut of by balls of fire heading her way.

"Katon attack by Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as he jumped in the air.

Tenten jumped out of the way to avoid the fire balls only to be met by one LARGE fire ball. It was as big as Chouji when he powers up.

Tenten eyes widened a bit and then she smirked.

"Tenten!" Gai yelled as he watched his student being engulfed by the giant fire ball.

"Oh no!" Sakura yelled.

"He got her!" Naruto yelled.

"_Not yet…" _Sasuke and Neji thought at the same time.

Kakashi landed on the floor of the clearing looking for any signs of the weapons mistress.

"You killed her!" Naruto yelled again but this time it was Kakashi he was yelling at and not Tenten.

Kakashi sweat dropped as he looked at Naruto tiredly.

"She's not yet dead… Look." Sai told Naruto as he pointed towards the direction where Tenten's 'dead body' should be.

"Replacement technique!" Naruto yelled as he looked at the cinders on the floor surrounded by pieces of wood.

Kakashi looked around for Tenten.

"_She's hiding here somewhere…"_

"Whew! That was close!"

Kakashi was shocked to see Tenten appear right in front of him. She didn't even bother to conceal herself and do a sneak attack. Was she mocking him? HIM?! Kakashi Hatake? The COPY NINJA?

"Tenten! What are you doing?!" Gai scolded Tenten.

"Huh? Nothing…" Tenten answered confused. "Oh! And by the way Kakash-" Tenten was cut off by Kakashi's kick.

Tenten avoided the kick as she tried her best to make the Jounin listen.

"Oi! Kakashi-sensei! Whooopsss… Eeeeppp… Argh… Whoa… Wait!!"

Tenten kept on avoiding his attacks. The Jounin wasn't listening to her at all.

"You can't tell your opponents to wait in battle, Tenten." It was now Kakashi's turn to do the mocking.

Tenten looked at him tiredly. _"He really doesn't like losing anywhere, does he?"_

Kakashi gave Tenten a challenging look.

Tenten could only sigh.

"_Looks like he's really serious this time… Now how am I supposed to tell him?" _Tenten paused her thoughts to look at the silver-haired Jounin._ "Okay fine… I'll just enjoy this a little more before I tell him… "_

They were both having a taijutsu match in the middle of the clearing.

Tenten increased her speed and started her counter attack. Kakashi managed to block all of her attacks with ease thanks to the Sharingan.

"_This would be so much easier if I had that on as well…"_ Tenten thought as she sighed.

Before Tenten knew it, the trees were fading away, her surroundings became black and Kakashi disappeared. She merely snorted in response.

Being a Sharingan wielder as well, she knew what was happening all too well.

"_Genjutsu, ey? With this type of obvious genjutsu, you won't fool me."_

"KAI!"

Tenten was back to the real world. She smiled at a bewildered Kakashi.

"_How did she get out so fast?"_

"Huh? What happened?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know…" Sakura whispered.

They weren't able to see that Kakashi managed to get Tenten under a genjutsu because it only lasted for three seconds.

"Ne?! What's going on here?!" Naruto asked Sai.

Sai shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know as well.

Sakura looked at Gai-sensei questioningly but he only shrugged his shoulders.

After all, how could any of them know? They weren't Sharingan or Byakugan users.

"Genjutsu…" Sasuke and Neji whispered at the same time. They both couldn't take their teammates' stupidity any longer.

They glared at each other for a second when they realized that they both said the same thing at the same time.

"Genjutsu?!" Sakura said in disbelief.

"Really Neji?" Lee asked.

"Hn… But it only lasted for about three seconds. She managed to free herself from it almost immediately."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Tenten.

"_How did she know immediately that it was genjutsu? But what bothers me the most is… How did she get away from a genjutsu of the Sharingan so easily!?_"

Something was definitely not right. And he needed to know what it was.

"It was such an obvious genjutsu Kakashi-sensei." Tenten teased. "You keep held back too much." Tenten paused as she scratched the back of her head. "It kind of pisses me off that you think of me that lowly…"

Kakashi replied by throwing a few weapons at her. "This is just a spar after all. No need to go all out."

"Wait!" Tenten yelled. She still hasn't told him what she wanted to say.

"Tenten, how many times do I have to tell you? At the battle field, you can't tell your opponent to wait." Kakashi lectured once more.

Tenten sighed.

"I know. But at this point, you've already lost."

This made Kakashi stop his attacks as he cart wheeled backwards.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked.

"You mean you actually haven't noticed?" Tenten said as she looked Kakashi in the eye and smirked. This made Kakashi's eyes grow big.

"_Don't tell me…"_

"That's right." Tenten said as she placed her left hand on her hip and her right hand in her pouch bag. She was getting something.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Why aren't they fighting?" Sakura added.

"If my deduction is correct…" Sai began.

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked down and searched for a certain object. His eyes grew big when he saw nothing there.

Ring… Ring…

"Tenten has already won." Sai finished. This made Sakura and Naruto gasp in shock.

Kakashi directed his attention towards the sound. His eyes were still shocked.

There he saw Tenten standing with her left hand still on her hip. Her mouth was smiling and her eyes were closed. There, in her right, were the two bells that were once tied to Kakashi's waist.

"I've been trying to tell you since after my bunshins bombarded you with weapons…" Tenten paused. "I tried to tell you twice. But just like what they say, third times the charm." Tenten finished.

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura yelled in unison.

"When did she?!" Lee gasped.

"I didn't see her get it…" Sai said as he narrowed his eyes.

Sasuke and Neji however, weren't surprised. They saw how she got the bells. Thanks to the Byakugan and Sharingan that is.

"Did you see Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked sweetly

"Neji? Did you see?" Lee asked.

"Hn…" Both prodigies said in unison. This made them glare at each other once again.

"HOW?!" Naruto yelled at the.

Kakashi was still staring at her in disbelief. He didn't sense her take it from him! How? How did she do it?

"I can see you're confused on how I managed to get them without you noticing. Fine. I'll tell you. It's with this." Tenten said as she opened her pouch bag to get something.

Soon, her hand came out. It was holding a needle.

(AN: The needle that Tenten's holding is similar to the needle weapon of "Haku"… The partner of Zabuza?)

"What's a needle have to do with any of this?!" Naruto asked.

Tenten rose the needle up in front of her face. After a few seconds, she released it from her hold. However, the needle didn't fall, it was floating in midair.

"What?! Why's it floating?!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi's eyes grew. Now he knew how! The bunshins, the explosive notes and the Soshoryu attacks weren't made to attempt to take the bells. They were made to distract him.

"I see you've understood Kakashi-sensei. All of the previous attacks I did were only diversions. Thanks to this, I managed to take it from you." Tenten said as she smiled.

"_Damn… I can't believe I didn't see that…"_ Sai thought as he narrowed his eyes at Tenten.

"I don't get it!!" Naruto yelled. Sakura then hit Naruto at the back of his head.

"OW! Sakura-chan! Why'd you hit me!?"

"Don't you get it? The bunshins she made, the explosive notes, the Soshoryu were all used to hide the needle and distract Kakashi-sensei!"

"But how does the needle enter the picture?"

"Honestly! First were the bunshins… She made it look like she made them to look for Kakashi-sensei but in reality she had another plan…"

"Uh-huh… Go on…"

"She left herself in the middle of the clearing knowing that Kakashi-sensei would probably sense that she was the real Tenten…"

"Then?"

"Then, she used the explosive notes to cover up the bunshins returning from their 'search' and positioning themselves for the Soshoryu attack. When Kakashi-sensei showed up, she made the bunshins do the Soshoryu."

"I know all that! It's the needle part that I don't get." Naruto pushed.

"Somewhere in between the events I've mentioned, she used that needle. She infused it with a little of her chakra to make it float. She then manipulated the movements of the needle with her chakra to cut the bells from Kakashi-sensei's waist and somehow getting the bells for herself. And since Kakashi-sensei was too busy dealing with her continuous assaults, he couldn't have noticed the needle. And he probably wasn't able to sense it as well because only very minimal amount of chakra was infused in it."

Naruto looked at Sakura with disbelief.

"So you mean she was able to get the bells that fast thanks to that needle?!"

"Yes Naruto…" Sakura sighed.

Tenten walked towards Kakashi and handed him the bells. She was still smiling.

Kakashi looked at the weapons mistress tiredly.

"_I guess I should have gotten serious from the beginning. I only began to get serious after her bunshins' Soshoryu._"

Kakashi sighed.

"_Never underestimate your opponent…"_

"Thank you so much for the training, Kakashi-sensei." Tenten said as she bowed politely.

"TENTEN! YOU BEAT MY ETERNAL RIVAL! I AM SO PROUD!" Gai yelled as tears flowed down his face. He couldn't be any prouder.

"T-Thanks… Sensei…" Tenten said as she tried her best not to laugh. But deep down, she was touched by her sensei's words yet again.

"_He's proud of me ey?"_

"Well, I guess I never should have underestimated you…" Kakashi said as he sighed.

"It's okay Kakashi-sensei. At least you learned something important today." Tenten teased.

Kakashi sighed again. He was seriously losing come face here.

"Sugoi Tenten!" Naruto yelled.

"It was a nice battle…" Sai smiled.

"_I need to watch out for her…"_

"You've gotten so good!" Sakura said.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, Thanks! I guess…" Tenten answered as she blushed. She's never been complimented by these many people.

She secretly looked for Neji and Lee to see their reactions. Neji was meditating again while Lee was back training against a tree.

"_I guess I haven't impressed them yet…" _Tenten thought, slightly irritated. _"Looks like I'll just have to wait till the Jounin exams"_ She smirked at the thought.

She suddenly sensed someone looking at her. She turned her head and located the owner of such a piercing gaze only to meet two onyx eyes glaring at her.

"_Sasuke?_" Tenten was surprised._ "What's up with him?"_

Tenten decided to smile at the Uchiha prodigy. After all, if you fight fire with fire, you will only get burned.

This caused to the prodigy to glare at her more intensely.

Tenten sweat dropped. _"Okay…"_

Tenten looked away from Sasuke and decided to busy herself with something else only to stop on her tracks and laugh nervously when she saw a very familiar face.

"Ouj-… Ehem… Tenten…"

"H-Hey! Yue!" Tenten laughed nervously as she put on a fake smile.

"_What did he see?"_

"What brings you here?" Tenten asked uneasily.

"_Did he see me fight?!"_

"Mifuyu asked me to call you back for lunch. You said you would only go for a walk. How is it that you ended up in the training grounds?" Yue said as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"_And who is this?"_ Kakashi thought as he scrunched his eye brows. There was something about this guy that he didn't like.

"Um… That's… I… Oh! Everyone, please meet my friend, Yue."

Tenten turned around an introduced him hoping to change the subject.

"This is Naruto… Sakura… Kakashi-sensei…"

Tenten began. After she finished, Yue greeted them all politely and dragged Tenten out of the training grounds.

"Who was that?" Naruto asked.

"Beats me… He could be her boyfriend!!" Sakura beamed.

(AN: I know that the four senseis are over thirty but they look as if they were in their 20s like Kakashi. He's already old but he still looks young and handsome. Okay FINE and hot!)

"Tenten, our youthful flower?! Having a boyfriend?!" Gai panicked.

"I don't think he's her boyfriend Gai." Kakashi replied as he continued to read his book.

"How can you say that?!" Naruto asked.

"Because she already has someone she holds dear…" Kakashi said confidently.

"Oh? Who?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah? Who?" Sakura asked as well.

Neji, Sasuke, Lee and Sai were also waiting for Kakashi's answer. They were also quite INTRIGUED by it.

Kakashi looked at all of them one by one and then he sighed.

"Fine… I…" Kakashi began.

They all waited patiently for his answer – their eyes filled with hope, curiosity, irritation and disbelief.

"Have absolutely no idea!" Kakashi said as he made a peace sign with his right hand.

This made Lee, Gai, Naruto and Sakura fall down anime style while Neji went back to meditating, Sasuke grunted and Sai just smiled.

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"You saw didn't you?"

Tenten was fidgeting as she jumped from one tree to another.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yue answered as he held back a smile. Oh he'd torture her!

"You know!!"

"I don't…"

"Get out of here!!"

"Oujo-sama… I really don't know…"

"You're gonna tell them… AREN'T YOU?!"

"Like I said… I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"YUE!"

"What is it Oujo-sama?"

"Stop feigning innocence! You know that I know that you know what I'm talking about!"

"Oujo-sama…"

"Stop calling me that. I said just Tenten!"

"Only in public… In private, we must call you Tenten-sama but I prefer Oujo-sama."

"Whatever. Just please don't tell them anything about what you saw a while ago okay?"

"I didn't see anything." Yue smirked.

"UGH! You're beyond hopeless!"

Tenten and Yue continued to head home for lunch. Though Tenten was already hungry because of the fight she had with Kakashi, she still didn't want to go home to face the wrath of Lucas, Griselda and Mifuyu.

Tenten sighed. She was screwed.

**

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That's the end of chapter 20! It's my longest chapter yet. 18 pages here in Microsoft Word! I started at 8 pm and finished at 1 am! I hope you liked the fight scene… Well, I did my best.

AGAIN… I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!

I had to finish the things needed for college first and I left my laptop in Manila and I'm currently in the province… So I'm very sorry… Thanks for waiting though!

**Oh and PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORY: MINE **

**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!! MWAH!!**


	21. Chapter 21

**PLEASE READ:**

**I am so sorry that I only updated now… WHY?! BECAUSE A REALLY STRONG STORM HIT THE PHILIPPINES and it was centered in our province, Pangasinan, and I was there when it happened… I just got to Manila. That STUPID STORM placed almost the entire province IN AN ELECTRICITY crisis!! IMAGINE STAYING AT HOME FOR A WEEK OR MORE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY!! DAMN!! So it might take me longer to update the next chapter after this… I'm not joking! The typhoons name is "COSME" (khos-meh)… DAMN THAT STORM!**

Thank you so much to all those who are reading and reviewing my stories!

Well, you guys must be sick of reading my introduction so without further ado, here's chapter 21!

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**Chapter 21: Apologies**

Tenten walked aimlessly around Konoha. Her mid was filled with so many things. That, however, wouldn't be a surprise. The Jounin exams were scheduled tomorrow and she was a little nervous about taking it.

However, the reason why she was wandering around wasn't because she needed to think or refresh her mind or something. It was simply because she couldn't take the nagging of her four senseis at home.

_(Flashback)_

"How many times do we have to tell you!? You HAVE TO REST! The Jounin exams are in two days!" Griselda shouted.

"Tenten-sama… I-No, we understand that you want to train to do better in the exams but you're over exerting yourself. What if you got hurt? Then you'd no longer be able to take them!" Mifuyu pleaded.

"_Great! I knew this would happen! Damn Yue…"_ Tenten thought as she glared at Yue who gave her an innocent look.

"Tenten…" Lucas said warningly.

"Y-Yes."

"I thought I told you a while ago not to train anymore?"

"But I didn't train! It was just a game!"

"Yeah… Sure it was." Yue mocked as he rolled his eyes. This earned him a glare from Tenten.

"That's it. We obviously can't trust you alone." Lucas paused as he walked towards Tenten.

"W-What? What are you gonna do?!" Tenten said as she rose her hands up in front of her in defense.

Before she knew it, her weapons arsenal was being taken away.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Tenten protested as she ried to get her weapons arsenal back from Lucas.

"I will confiscate this temporarily. I'll give it back to you on the day of the Jounin exams to make sure that you won't do anything stupid."

"Give it back Lucas!!"

"Tenten-sama…" Mifuyu sighed.

"Come on Mifuyu! Tell him to give it back!"

Tenten gave Mifuyu a puppy dog look. Mifuyu was about to give in. Thankfully Griselda came to the rescue.

"Tenten-sama, Lucas's decision is right and I'm sure we all agree with him. We can't trust you alone with your weapons for even just a minute."

"Oh come on Griselda!!"

"Our decision is final. Now go to bed and rest." Lucas ordered as he walked away to his room carrying Tenten's weapons arsenal.

Tenten pouted and sniffed as she looked at Yue, Griselda and Mifuyu with tear filled eyes.

"NO FAIR!!"

Tenten stomped her way to her room and slammed the door shut.

_(End of Flashback)_

"_They didn't have to scold me that much… They were all even giving me looks and warnings this morning when I said I'd be out for a walk! Honestly! I ain't gonna train anymore!"_

Tenten was still walking around aimlessly occasionally glancing at random shops every now and then.

"_Besides… They have my weapons arsenal! I have nothing to defend myself with but taijutsu since I obviously can't use ninjutsu! That's my surprise for tomorrow…"_

Tenten saw a pebble and kicked it. She continued to do so as she walked around Konoha.

"_I'm so bored…"_

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**

"I'm going to check on Tenten. She might be training again." Lucas said as he began to walk out of the kitchen.

"Lucas… She's not a kid anymore. You don't need to look out for her that much. Besides, if she finds out you were spying on her, HELL would break loose." Griselda reasoned.

"She's right Lucas." Mifuyu seconded.

Lucas sighed.

"Very well…"

The fire master headed for his room instead.

"No matter how much she improves she's still the same kid we met three years ago." Yue said as he smiled.

"Yeah… For once I agree with you." Griselda whispered.

"She's just like her mother." Mifuyu added.

The other two element masters agreed.

"Hey! Are we gonna watch Tenten while she takes the Jounin exams?" Griselda asked.

"Of course we are! We'd jump in to save her if things get too rough." Yue answered.

"I don't think she'll like it if we interfere in one of her matches." Griselda replied.

"I agree. And somehow, I think we won't be able to anyway. She can deal with any opponent that'll come her way. After all, she did manage to beat all four of us at the same time." Mifuyu said as she washed the dinner dishes.

"Yes, I know. But she's not allowed to use BOTH of her blood limits right? So she's still in a pinch…" Griselda anxiously stated.

"She can use the different jutsus of the elements remember? She can handle a little exam." Yue replied confidently.

"But there is one problem…" Mifuyu said as she paused from washing the dishes.

"What?" Griselda and Yue answered at the same time.

"What happens if her blood limits come out subconsciously?"

Mifuyu continued to wash the dishes as she heard Griselda gasp and Yue sigh.

"Yeah… I almost forgot about that." Yue whispered.

"Whenever she's in a dangerous situation, her blood limits activate almost immediately. Protecting her instantly…" Mifuyu said.

"B-But I don't think she'll be in that much danger." Griselda said as she composed herself. She tried her best to be optimistic.

Yue nodded his head in agreement.

"And I think she'll do her best to try and keep her blood limits at bay." Yue added.

"I suppose… But one thing really bothers me…" Mifuyu paused.

Griselda and Yue looked at the water master and waited for her to answer.

"It's her other blood limit… The Sharingan…"

"I see…" Griselda said as she bowed her head.

"It has a mind of its own and it activates instantly in the midst of battle. It maybe hard for Oujo-sama to contain it…" Yue added.

Mifuyu sighed.

"If that happens…" She paused. She didn't want to think of what could happen if people do see Tenten with a Sharingan.

"She's screwed…" Griselda finished.

**

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**

Lee sighed as he continued to walk around Konoha aimlessly. He was deep in thought. Something was bothering him but is wasn't the Jounin exams.

"_I wonder how Tenten's doing…"_

Lee had to admit that he really missed her. When he saw her for the first time at the Hokage tower, he wanted to hug her and cry. But he didn't. His disappointment in her got the better of him.

"_Sigh… Why am I even bothering to think of her?"_

Lee angrily stomped his way through the busy streets of Konoha.

"_She left of her own free will without even telling any of us anything. She just left a dumb letter. And then she comes back and expects everything to be okay?"_

Lee sighed tiredly.

As much as he wanted to deny it, deep down, he really wanted to welcome Tenten back and catch up on the lost time. But he couldn't ignore the fact that she left just like that without even considering how people would feel if she did. She didn't even have the decency to tell him personally. She just cut off all contact with them as if they meant nothing to her.

"_It's like she didn't even value our friendship enough to trust me… Or even bother to tell me anything at all! Didn't she even think that people would actually be sad if she left?"_

Lee scrunched his eye brows as he recalled the uproar he caused in the hospital three years ago because of Tenten.

"_We were all so worried. I was worried" _He paused when his thoughts shifted to another member of his team._ "And when she left, Neji was never the same too…"_

Lee remembered how much Neji had changed when Tenten left. He became colder and more distant towards people. He was also quiet and he only spoke when he was asked or when the situation required it, like on a mission.

"_She caused us so much pain. I can't just welcome her and act like nothing happened!" _

Lee sadly stared at the floor. He had stopped walking and he was now standing in the middle of one of Konoha's crowded streets.

"_Team Gai was never the same without her."_

People gave Lee weird glances. After all, he was standing in the middle of Konoha's busiest street looking at the floor weirdly.

Luckily, he was brought back to reality when he heard a glass break. He turned his head to the right and saw a restaurant. He watched as a little girl cried while her mother scolded her. She dropped her water glass and got a small cut on her hand.

Thanks to the commotion, Lee temporarily forgot his worries.

He continued to walk around Konoha but he stopped when he realized that he had reached the park.

He sat down on an empty bench and stared at the sky.

"What a beautiful day…"

He glanced back down and watched the children play. A smile made its way to his face.

Sometimes he wished things could go back to how they were before. When they were all just kids… Living without a care in the world… All they know was that they were happy and contented with how things were.

When Lee's eyes caught sight of the swing, he suddenly remembered the talk he had with Sakura on the night of Tenten's arrival.

They were both sitting on the swings and looking at the stars.

**

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**

_(Flashback)_

"Lee…"

Sakura stared at the ground sadly.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?"

Lee turned his head towards the pink haired kunoichi as he scrunched his eye brows at her actions.

"Why didn't you welcome Tenten back?"

Sakura was now looking at Lee. Their eyes met.

Lee stiffened when he heard her question. He immediately broke eye contact with her.

"Lee…"

Sakura pushed on.

Lee looked at the ground sadly.

"Because I'm not yet ready to welcome her back with open arms…"

"Why?"

"Well… Just because…"

"Lee… You must have some reason."

Lee wasn't answering. He just looked at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Sakura sighed as she glanced up at the stars.

"You know… When we successfully brought Sasuke back to the village? I was so happy! I couldn't stop smiling and welcoming him. I was so glad that he was finally back to the village for good."

Lee turned his head to his right slightly to look at the pink haired kunoichi as she stared up at the sky.

"I lost him. But now he's back. Even though he left without telling any of us, I was and am still more than happy to welcome him back."

"You talked to him before he left… Remember?" Lee reminded as he looked up at the stars. He really didn't like it when Sakura talked about Sasuke. But what could he do? She loved him. And no matter what he would do, he knew that she wouldn't love him back in the way he wanted her to.

"Yeah… But that was just by coincidence. If Naruto hadn't asked me to join him at Ichiraku's, then I never would have seen him walk away from Konoha while I was on my way home. In your case, Tenten left you letters. She cared enough to inform you that she was… Or that she did leave."

Sakura was still looking up at the sky as she reminisced about her encounter with Sasuke before he left Konoha.

"It still wasn't a personal goodbye…" Lee stubbornly pushed on.

"Lee… That 'goodbye' I had with Sasuke was by chance."

Sakura sighed as she looked at Lee. He was still looking up at the sky.

"I still don't get why you aren't happy that she's back. She's back of her own free will. Unlike Sasuke who we still had to fight and forcefully bring back here to the village. She's back for good too. And I'm sure she's very hurt because of how you and Neji are treating her."

Lee didn't answer. He just continued to look at the stars.

Sakura sighed as she stood up from the swing. This made Lee turned his attention from the stars to Sakura.

"It's getting late. I should get going."

Lee stood up as well.

"I'll walk you home."

Sakura raised her hand up to stop Lee as she smiled weakly.

"It's okay. I can get home by myself."

Sakura began to walk as Lee watched her retreating back.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Lee raised his eye brows waiting for her to turn back and look at him but she didn't. She simply raised her head to look at the stars again as she spoke.

"Tenten left you guys before. Now she's back. But you refuse to acknowledge her. What if one day she's gone again? This time, permanently… Can you live with yourself if that happens? Hm… Lee?"

Lee just stood there looking at Sakura's back. He didn't know what to say.

"You never know what you have till it's gone, Lee. So cherish it while you still have it."

Sakura brought her head back down and continued to head home.

Lee bowed his head and looked at the ground.

_(End of Flashback)_

**

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**

Lee raised his bowed head as he sighed out loud. He didn't know what to do anymore.

Suddenly, his eyes grew big as his mouth fell open.

There, sitting on one of the benches, was a troubled looking Tenten.

She had her arms folded and her head bowed. Her eye brows were scrunched and her lips were pouting as they mumbling words.

Lee swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"_What do I do now?"_

He then remembered the words Sakura told him.

"_You never know what you have till it's gone, Lee. So cherish it while you still have it."_

Lee sighed as he slowly stood up and headed towards Tenten.

His legs were shaking and they felt like they were going to give in any moment. His breath was caught in his lungs. He couldn't breathe. It felt like someone clogged his air ways. Moreover, his hands were cold and sweaty.

Tenten continued to sulk as she glared at the ground.

"_Damn senseis taking my weapons away…"_

Her thoughts were cut when she saw two feet in front of her. She slowly raised her head to see a green spandex.

"_Oh my… This is either Gai-sensei or…"_

"I-Is the seat taken?"

"_Lee…"_

Tenten forgot all about Lee's question as she stared at him. She made no move and she aid nothing.

Lee cleared his throat and repeated his question. His head was bowed down the whole time looking at the floor.

"Um… I-Is the seat taken?"

Tenten slapped herself mentally for drifting off like that.

"Oh! Um… No! It's not."

Tenten answered as he looked away.

"O-Oh… S-So… D-Do you mind…?"

Lee was still looking at the floor as he tried his best to suppress his nervousness.

Tenten looked at him in surprise.

"U-Um… No! Of course not…"

Lee stiffly walked to then bench and sat on the other end.

Silence soon engulfed the two. It was pretty late in the afternoon and the children playing were already called by their parents to go home. The sun was setting as well and most people headed home leaving the park somewhat abandoned.

Tenten wanted to head home as well but she knew that Lee had something to tell her. He wouldn't sit with her without a purpose.

Lee was staring at his hands balled into fists on his lap. He had no idea what to tell Tenten and how to start a conversation with her.

Tenten turned her head towards Lee and smiled. She knew him too well and he hasn't changed. With that expression he had, it was either because Sakura had turned him down AGAIN or because he was going to say something important but he didn't know how.

Tenten turned her head to look at the sky. She knew exactly what she had to do to help Lee ease down a bit.

"Lovely day we're having…"

Lee's eyes rolled to look at Tenten.

"Isn't it great?"

Tenten turned her head to look at Lee and smiled at him.

"Y-Yeah…"

Lee relaxed a bit. His hands were no longer in fists and his shoulders and back weren't so stiff.

"_That's better…"_ Tenten thought as she continued to smile.

"You're taking the exams to right? I hope we pass." Tenten said. She was still smiling at Lee.

"_Why is she so nice to me? Shouldn't she be mad because of how I treated her when she first arrived?"_ Lee thought. He was looking at Tenten as he scrunched his eye brows.

"Is something wrong?" Tenten asked worriedly as she watched his expression.

"N-No! Nothing's wrong…" Lee said as he shook his head and glanced back to the ground.

"That's good." Tenten said as she smiled and looked back towards the park.

Silence came back again.

Tenten waited for a few more minutes for Lee to speak.

Thirty minutes had passed but Lee hasn't spoken yet.

It was getting dark.

Tenten was slowly becoming worried that her four senseis would be looking for her. Or worse, accuse her of training…

She sighed and decided to give Lee some more time.

"_Why is she still here? Is she somehow… Waiting for me to speak?"_ Lee thought as he glanced at her for the umpteenth time.

He wanted to speak but he just didn't know what to say.

After yet ANOTHER thirty minutes, Tenten glanced worriedly at the park's clock. It was now 8 in the evening. She sighed as she stood up.

"I'm gonna head home now. You should to. The exams are tomorrow and you need to rest."

Tenten started to walk home. After a few steps, she immediately stopped when she heard Lee shout.

"I'M SORRY!"

Tenten turned around to see Lee standing up stiffly. His hands were balled into fists on his sides and his head hung low.

"S-Sorry? For what?"

Tenten was indeed a bit confused. If someone should say sorry, it should be her not Lee.

"For the way I've treated you… Ever since you came back…"

Lee was now looking at Tenten.

Tenten was taken aback by what Lee said. But then she smiled at him as he continued to speak.

"I'm sorry for everything I've said."

Lee bowed his head again so that Tenten wouldn't see his tears forming in his eyes.

"How I acted in the Hokage Tower when you first arrived… And during the joint training with Team Kakashi… I'm sorry… I-"

Lee stopped speaking when he felt Tenten hug him.

"That's enough Lee. That's enough… I should be the one saying sorry. Not you…"

Lee couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He hugged Tenten back and cried.

Tenten tried her best to suppress her own tears. She promised herself that she would never cry… EVER. Her eyes were glistening. They were filled with tears. But she wouldn't allow them to fall.

She then used her blood limit and bended the water out of her eyes. The water floated behind Lee's back and then on to the ground.

Tenten rubbed her teammates back as more tears were threatening to fall from her eyes

"Stop crying Lee..."

"I-I'm really… REALLY sorry…" Lee managed to mutter in between tears.

"I know Lee. I am too."

After a few minutes, Lee and Tenten broke their hug.

Tenten wiped Lee's tears from his eyes.

"Crying doesn't suit you, Lee." Tenten joked as she wiped his tears with her hand and smiled at him.

"You should smile."

Lee just looked at Tenten as he sniffed.

"J_ust like a small child…"_ Tenten thought as she smiled.

Tenten brought down her hand when she was sure that she wiped away most of Lee's tears.

"You should head home now and sleep Lee. The Jounin exams are tomorrow. You should have a good night rest."

"But Tenten…" Lee complained. He knew Tenten was just doing this to ease his burden.

"Lee… Just head home and sleep… Okay?"

Tenten looked at Lee with pleading eyes.

"B-But…" Lee protested.

This time, Tenten used a different approach.

"If you don't sleep and end up too exhausted to fight tomorrow, you'd no longer become a Jounin and you'd fall behind Neji. You wouldn't like that now, would you?"

"N-No! Of course not!"

"Then head home and sleep!" Tenten ordered.

Lee still wasn't moving an inch. He was still looking at Tenten with guilty eyes.

"Lee…" Tenten whined. "Everything is fine now. Okay? I'm not mad or hurt or sad or whatever! I understand why you and Neji did that. It was my fault for leaving anyway. So please stop feeling guilty. Okay? Because you're making me feel guilty as well…"

Tenten said as she looked at Lee with pleading eyes.

Lee just continued to look at her.

Tenten walked towards Lee and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Lee looked at her surprised.

"It's good luck for tomorrow." Tenten said as she smiled.

"No matter what happens, Lee, you'll always be my friend." Tenten said as she hugged him again.

Lee pouted as his eyes glistened with tears.

"TENTEN-SAN!"

Tenten laughed at his expression but cringed at the loudness of his voice.

"_Now his is the Lee I know…"_

After they broke their hug, they both said their goodbyes to one another.

"Sleep well Lee."

"I will! Tenten-san! You too! And good luck to us! I will not lose to Neji!"

Lee was now smiling and his eyes were filled with determination.

Tenten smiled. She was happy that the "Lee" she knew was back.

"That's good to hear. I'm off then."

Tenten turned around and waved goodbye at Lee.

"See you tomorrow!" Lee shouted as he waved his hand. Finally, he could sleep tonight.

As Tenten headed home, she couldn't help but feel happy and relieved. A burden was taken off her shoulders. However, her happiness didn't last long. She remembered one person who still wasn't in good terms with her.

"_Neji…"_

Tenten's happy mood turned into a sad one.

"_I wonder how he is…"_

Tenten then realized that her head was drifting off. Suddenly, she shook her head and got rid of her thoughts about a certain Byakugan wielder.

"_I'm not supposed to think of him… The Jounin exams are tomorrow… I have to FOCUS! FOCUS, Tenten."_

As she continued to walk, her thoughts drifted off to think about Neji again.

"_I wonder how much he's changed…"_

Tenten shook her head again as she continued to head home. She had to stay focused.

She then stopped for a moment to look at the star filled sky.

As her eyes gazed at the moon, again, her mind was filled with thoughts of Neji.

"_His eyes are just like the moon…"_

She sighed. There was no point in trying to stop her mind from thinking of him.

She continued to head home with one question continuously running through her mind.

"_I wonder… Will he ever forgive me?"_

**

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**

NEXT CHAPTER: **THE JOUNIN EXAMS!!** Oh Yeah! HAHAHA!

To all of my Dragon Seal readers, PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORY ENTITLED **MINE!!**

Oh and to all the anonymous reviewers, thanks for bothering to review! I'm really touched that you guys love this story!

**WELL… TILL NEXT TIME!**


	22. Chapter 22

Hey guys!! I'm FINALY BACK!! Dangit! I haven't updated in like ages!! This is so infuriating… And I know you guys are infuriated too… Sorry!! I'm really sorry… I hope you guys can find it in your hearts to forgive me…

I'm just really busy right now. No joke… I did warn you about that right? College and everything… Sigh… But I did promise to finish my stories so have no fear!! I PROMISE!! I SWEAR!!

So since you've missed me… AHEM… I mean this story, I won't hold you guys up any longer… I hope you guys like it…

Here's chapter 22!!

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**Chapter 22: The Jounin Exams**

"Oujo-sama…"

"Hm…"

Tenten slowly stirred on her bed.

"Tenten-sama… Wake up…"

"Hn? Hm…"

Tenten's eyes brows furrowed as she hugged her pillow.

"Tenten-sama!"

"Wake up!"

When Tenten could no longer stand the hands poking and shaking her, she groggily opened one eye to glance at the people who were trying so desperately to wake her up.

Around her bed stood Mifuyu, Yue, Griselda and Lucas.

"What? Is Konoha being invaded or something?" Tenten softly but annoyingly replied.

"Iie Oujo-sama…" Yue answered exasperatedly as he rolled his eyes.

"Then why are you all messing with my sleep?" Tenten sighed as she closed her eye once more.

"Tenten-sama get up already or else! You need to get ready!" Griselda shouted.

"Get ready? For what?" Tenten answered. She tried desperately to open her eyes as she hugged her pillow tighter.

"Tenten-sama!" Mifuyu scolded.

Tenten replied by pulling the sheets over her head.

"The Jounin Exams begin in exactly four minutes and twenty-eight seconds." Lucas stated calmly.

Tenten's eyes flew open. She threw the covers away from her and she immediately sat up. Her face showed only one emotion – pure terror.

Soon, a loud scream was heard throughout Konoha.

"I'M LATE!!!"

**

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**

BOOM! BANG! CRASH!

_At the dinning room…_

"Do you think she's alright?" Griselda asked as she sat down a chair getting ready for breakfast.

"She'll be fine." Yue said. His face fashioned a good, wide grin.

"Lucas!" Mifuyu scolded.

"I had no other choice." Lucas reasoned.

"Yeah Mifuyu! She wouldn't have gotten out of bed if she wasn't told that she was gonna be late." Yue added.

"She better hurry up." Griselda said she laughed out loud with Yue.

She hastily went into the shower. Her clothes were discarded within five seconds.

After two minutes, Tenten was out of the bathroom fully dressed. However, her hair was still down dripping wet like an open faucet.

"Damn it! I never should have slept that late! Damn thoughts! Damn Neji! Damn it all!" Tenten mumbled.

While Tenten was wearing her shoes, she used her blood limit to blow a hot breeze on her hair to dry it faster.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

After wearing her shoes, she immediately worked on her now dry hair and placed them in buns.

"Done!"

She ran out of her room and passed the dining room ignoring the calls she got from her four senseis. She was nearing the door when a hand gripped her wrist stopping her from moving any further.

Tenten whipped her head towards her captor annoyingly.

"Lucas?! What the hell are you doing?! Let go! I'm gonna be late!" Tenten yelled as she hastily tried to free herself by pulling her arm.

She stopped wriggling out of Lucas's grip when she saw the expressions of her three other senseis behind him.

Mifuyu was looking at the floor while her hands fidgeted, Griselda was looking at nowhere in particular while whistling and Yue had a worried smile on and his right hand was raised with his fingers forming a 'peace' sign.

"What the?" Tenten asked as she turned her gaze from the three to Lucas.

Lucas simply sighed and looked at a particular direction.

Tenten furrowed her eyebrows and followed Lucas's gaze only to see a clock.

Tenten directed her gaze back at Lucas. She had no idea what the hell was going on.

"Look at it and tell me what the time is." Lucas calmly ordered.

Tenten looked at the clock again. This time, looking at where the short and long hands were pointing. Her eyes grew big as her shoulders fell.

Lucas slowly released his grip on her hand.

"You're an hour and twenty minutes early…"

Not soon after, another loud, angry yell was heard throughout Konoha. This time it was followed by sounds of things breaking and a few people shouting.

**

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**

Tenten slowly dragged her feet on the street. She was headed to the arena for the Jounin exams but she looked horrible. She had bags under her eyes, her hair was sticking out of their buns, her clothes were wrinkled and her shoes were dirty. That was certainly not the look of someone prepared to take the Jounin exams.

Tenten paused to glare at a small stone on the ground.

"Damn those four idiots! I've been looking forward to this day ever since I got back! How dare they ruin it!?" She kicked the stone forcefully as if it had been the reason for her fury. "I even did a lot of meditations to keep my self cool, calm and collected for today! Now it's all ruined!" Tenten rambled she angrily stomped her feet and wriggled her hands in irritation. This earned her frightened glances from the passers-by.

"What?!" Tenten exclaimed as she glared at all the people staring at whispering at her. This caused them to walk away in a fast pace. She was definitely not in the mood to place nice.

Tenten exhaled to calm herself down.

This was not how she imagined this day. What was happening now was the exact opposite of what she had planned. And nothing pissed her off more than that. She hated it when things didn't go the way she had expected them to.

"I need to pull myself together. I have to get a hold of myself!" Tenten scolded herself.

"First things first… I need to fix myself."

Tenten examined her clothes and her look.

"I look like I just came back from the dead!" Tenten annoyingly said.

She quickly headed searched for a restroom to make herself look a little more presentable.

**

* * *

**

Sakura walked towards the arena at a steady pace looking side ways every once in a while hoping that she would somehow run into Sasuke.

"_Sasuke-kun! Where are you?"_

"Yo Forehead!"

Sakura stopped on her tracks and her body stiffened. She knew that voice all too well. She turned around immediately.

"Who are you calling forehead, INO-PIG!"

There stood Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Still looking for Sasuke I presume?" Ino stated as she rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's it to you pig?" Sakura answered as she narrowed her eyes.

"Everybody knows that Sasuke passes by this road! It's the nearest to his house!" Ino paused as she folded her arms in front of her chest. "But just so you know, you don't have a chance! Sasuke's mine. So why don't you just give up, forehead girl!" Ino said as she curled her hands into fists.

"You wanna go right now?!" Sakura threatened.

Soon, Sakura and Ino were battling it out on the street.

"Why are women so troublesome?" Shikamaru whispered as he stretched his arms and yawned. He passed by the two not even bothering to stop them.

"Beats me…" Chouji answered as he opened another bag of chips.

"Why the hell did I even agree to take the Jounin exams? That would only mean more work to be done! This is so troublesome…" Shikamaru complained.

Chouji simply continued to munch on his chips as he smiled at his best friend.

"Oi!! What are you two doing!?"

Shikamaru and Chouji turned their heads towards the voice. They saw Naruto and Sai running towards Sakura and Ino to break their little cat fight.

Fortunately, Ino broke the fight when she caught sight of Sai.

"Oh Sai-kun!" Ino greeted as she ran towards Sai.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine Naruto." Sakura assured.

"Looks like the whole gang's here…"

They all turned their heads to see Team 8.

"Oi! It's Kiba, Hinata and Shino!" Naruto greeted.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata stuttered as she fidgeted a little.

"Not everyone's here…" Shino said.

"Um… Sasuke-kun's not here." Ino replied.

"So we're all taking the exams right?" Kiba asked.

"Except for me…" Sai answered as he smiled.

"Oh right!" Kiba grinned as he scratched his head. He then looked at Naruto. "So where's Sasuke?"

"That fool probably chickened out!" Naruto yelled as he laughed out loud. He, however, stopped laughing when he sensed a strong killing aura from Sakura and Ino.

"Um… I don't want to interrupt this reunion but the Jounin exams will start soon." Sai stated.

All of them turned their gazes towards the arena.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru stated.

Naruto clenched his fists and jumped into the air.

"Jounin exams! Here I come!"

**

* * *

**

"That ought to do it…"

Tenten looked at herself for one last time on the mirror. She was now more than presentable for the Jounin exams.

She made her way out of the bathroom and slowly breathed in and out.

She directed her gaze towards the arena. She was still a good hundred meters away from it but she could already see that it was packed with people. The noise it emitted proved her theory all the more.

"_Alright Tenten! This is it…"_

Tenten began to fill her thoughts with determination as she walked towards the arena. She needed to condition herself mentally for the exam.

Her pace increased every second until she was practically running. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. She couldn't wait any longer. The excitement was killing her.

Tenten's moment of exhilaration was cut short, however, when she heard a loud scream from behind her.

She stopped on her tracks and turned her head towards the direction of the sound. It was Lee doing cart wheels on top of the roofs with amazing speed. He was so pumped up that he didn't even notice her. Tenten smiled. She was happy she made up with Lee last night. That would certainly make her more comfortable.

However, Tenten's immediately smile faded when she remembered the conversation she had with her four senseis during dinner last night.

**

* * *

**

_(Flashback)_

"Tenten-sama… We need to talk…" Mifuyu said.

"Sure… What is it?" Tenten smiled as she continued to chew her food.

"We need to warn you about something." Griselda added.

Tenten's smile slowly faded when she saw the serious looks on her senseis' faces. She immediately stopped eating and placed her chopsticks down.

"Warn me about what?"

"If ever you are to face someone whom you think is a very big threat to you, we want you withdraw." Yue said.

"What? Withdraw? Why would you want me to do that?" Tenten was getting confused.

"Both of your blood limits react to danger. Whenever your life is at risk, they activate almost immediately. Just imagine the catastrophic result if all those spectators where to see of what you are really capable of." Lucas added.

"Then why did you guys allow me to take the Jounin exams in the first place? It's common knowledge that all participants in it are strong!" Tenten argued as she banged her fist on the table.

"If we told you not to participate, would you have done it then?" Griselda asked as she gave Tenten a knowing look.

Tenten opened her mouth then slowly closed it. Griselda was right. Even if they banned her from the exams, she still would have taken them. No questions asked.

"Then there's your answer." Griselda finished.

"We want you to think of all the people you know of that could serve as a big threat to yourself - people who you think could be the reason for the possible unraveling of both your blood limits." Mifuyu began.

"Then we suggest you decline the fight if ever you are put up against them." Yue added.

"Wait… You said 'suggest'… Then that would mean that it's not an order?" Tenten asked surprised.

"One, we're not allowed to order you for you are our mistress. Two, even if we were allowed to, you wouldn't follow us anyway." Griselda pointed out once more.

Tenten sighed. Griselda kept on making points that were so difficult to challenge.

"It's up to you whether you accept a fight or not. That's your choice. All we're saying is that we want you to know the possible consequences that could happen during the exams." Lucas paused to emphasize his point. "If your blood limits show up in front of all those people, it is up to you to find out a way to fix it. You must face the consequences alone." Lucas stated coldly.

"You need to at least have a plan of what you're going to do. You must be very careful." Mifuyu said anxiously.

Tenten slouched on her chair and muttered her complaints.

"And to think I've been looking forward to the Jounin exams all this time…

_(End of flashback)_

**

* * *

**

Tenten thought hard about the things her senseis told her.

"Looks like I need to make a mental note of those that I wouldn't fight."

Tenten scrunched her eye brows in irritation. She didn't like the idea at all. It was cowardly, incredibly embarrassing…

Tenten sighed as she continued to walk towards the arena in deep thought.

In her heart, she knew she had to follow her senseis' instructions. They were right after all. The risk of exposing everything they've worked so hard to conceal was too great.

"_Well, Lee's one. I definitely have to watch out for him."_

When Tenten reached an intersection, she stopped on her tracks. She sensed a strong aura coming from the other road on her right. She immediately turned her head only to be met by two scrutinizing onyx orbs.

"_Sasuke?"_

The two of them were having a stare down. Tenten wanted to get as far away as possible from Sasuke but something was stopping her. Something was drawing her to him. She felt like she was rooted on the ground against her will.

Tenten then mentally slapped herself. She needed to relax.

Tenten cleared her throat.

"Uhem… Good morning…" Tenten greeted Sasuke and smiled at him. This caused Sasuke to narrow his eyes at her.

"_Okay… Not working…" _Tenten sweat dropped. She was slowly getting uneasy under the Uchiha's intense gaze.

Tenten simply bowed and walked away. She could still feel Sasuke's gaze follow her. This made her stiffen a bit.

When she turned around a corner, she released a breath she never thought she held in.

"_What the hell is his problem? He's been glaring at me since the joint practice!"_

It was a good thing he didn't have his Sharingan on.

"_Escaping his Sharingan would have been a whole lot harder than escaping Kakashi-sensei's. I would need to activate my own Sharingan to get out of it…"_

Tenten sighed thankfully. At least she didn't get into trouble before the Jounin exams.

"Looks like I have another troublesome person to add to my list."

"_Sasuke Uchiha… He's probably the biggest threat to me in this competition."_

**

* * *

**

Tenten soon arrived at the grounds of the arena. After just a few steps on the grass, she was immediately caught in one of Lee's bear hugs.

"Tenten-san!" Lee shouted on her ear. She cringed.

"Lee! Let… Go! Can't Breathe!" Tenten tried to speak as she wriggled herself out of the bear hug.

"Oh! Sorry Tenten-san!" Lee released the hug. "Are you ready for today? I'm so excited! You know I was…"

Lee continued to blab about training and Gai-sensei and squirrels and all other stuffs. Tenten was feigning interest while she concentrated on getting her lungs to function normally again.

After Lee finished talking, he noticed Tenten was looking for someone.

"Tenten-san? Who are you looking for?" Lee asked.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, no one in particular! Just looking for familiar faces in the crowd…" Tenten lied.

"_Neji's a Jounin already so he's probably sitting on the one of the benches…"_

"Ah… Well, Sakura-chan and the others are on the other side of the arena. Want to come with me? I'm on my way there. I just went here to look for you." Lee stated.

Tenten was about to say yes when suddenly she realized something.

"_Damn… What if Sasuke's there too?!"_ Tenten panicked a little. She really wasn't in the mood to be the object of his glaring. In fact, she didn't know how much more of that she could take. Sooner or later she'd blow up on him. She was sure of it.

"Oh… Is that so? Um… I don't know. The arena doors will be opening soon. There's a door right here and we're pretty close so why not stay here?"

"I get your point but wouldn't it be more fun if we all went in together?" Lee argued.

"Well, if the doors open then wouldn't they enter already thereby leaving us behind?" Tenten answered. She tried her best to look of excuses.

"But what if the doors don't open yet?" Lee persisted.

"I…" Tenten sighed. "Look Lee, if you want to go to Sakura and the others then go. I'm not stopping you. I'm fine here by myself." Tenten assured.

"Are you sure? There are a lot of bad guys around you know." Lee said anxiously. This made Tenten feel touched but offended at the same time.

"Thanks for your concern, Lee. Really… But I think I can take care of myself." Tenten defended.

"I know. But I'm worried not because I think you're weak you know. I'm worried because I'm your teammate and I wanna make sure you're okay." Lee answered. This made Tenten smile.

"Thanks Lee. That's so sweet. But I'm really just fine here."

Lee let out a defeated sigh.

"Ok…"

Tenten nodded. "You should go then."

Lee gave Tenten the 'good guy' pose along with the 'ping' sound of his white teeth. This made Tenten giggle. It's been a while since she last saw that.

"Okay then. If you say so…" Lee paused to give her one more look. "See you later!"

With that, Lee then ran off into the crowd.

Tenten smiled. It was good to be friends with Lee again.

When he was finally out of sight, Tenten walked towards a tree and climbed it. She silently observed all the people in the grounds assessing their chakras. She needed to at least orient herself with the possible people she could be up against. The exams were definitely no joke. One wrong move and she could end up in a really bad situation or worse, dead.

After observing her fellow competitors, she remembered the faces of those she should at least be careful of.

When Tenten was finished checking the competition, she jumped down from the tree only to be face to face with none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Tenten almost yelped. It was a good thing she had enough self control.

"_Damn it… Too many different chakras! I didn't sense him at all!"_

She composed herself once more.

"Oh! Uchiha-san… I didn't see you there."

Sasuke simply narrowed his eyes at her once again but she decided to ignore it.

"If you're looking for Sakura and the others, they're on the other side of the arena." Tenten continued but this time she added a smile – the sincerest smile she could possibly muster at that time.

Sasuke closed his eyes, sighed and then opened them again. This time, his eyes were holding mix emotions of irritation, confusion and determination.

"I'll find out." Sasuke muttered.

"What?" Tenten asked as her eyebrows rose up. She was getting confused.

Sasuke grunted as he smirked at her.

"_What the hell is this idiot doing?!"_ Tenten's mind was racing with thoughts and guesses on what Sasuke's purpose was.

Sasuke opened his eyes once more and glared at Tenten.

"Whatever it is that you're hiding… I'll find out."

Tenten eyes grew big. Then a strong wind blew. Tenten closed her eyes and brought her hands up to shield her face.

When the wind stopped blowing, Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

Tenten stood on the same spot unable to move. Once more, she was rooted onto the ground unable to move. Tenten bowed her head to hide her shock and disbelief.

"_What the hell did he mean by 'I'll find out'?"_

Tenten's thoughts were interrupted by an announcement on the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stand clear of the doors for we will be opening them in thirty seconds and counting."

It was Shizune who was voicing the announcement.

Then a thirty second countdown was shown on the screens scattered around the arena.

"30…29…28…"

"_Damn it… Could that mean that… Sasuke's on to me or something?!"_

"20…19…18…"

Tenten softly growled in irritation. She didn't have time for distractions. She needed to concentrate.

"10…9…"

"_Whatever this is, it'll have to wait till after the Jounin exams…"_

"8…7…"

"_Only one thing is clear to me right now…"_

"6…5…"

"_No matter what happens…"_

"4…3…"

"_I should not fight Sasuke Uchiha…"_

"2…1…"

Tenten raised her head and watched as the gigantic doors flew open. Suddenly, loud cheers were heard from the crowd.

"The examinees may proceed to the open field. The Jounin exams will begin in five minutes." Shizune announced.

The examiners all headed to the open field in the middle of a humongous crowd. The crowd continued to cheer as the participants walked to the field.

Tenten was still rooted on the same spot not moving an inch.

"_This is it Tenten… The Jounin exams…"_

She let out a nervous sigh. She was beginning to wish she had never learned of the exams existence. She finally realized the gravity of the situation. If she wasn't careful, the secret of her blood limits would be exposed.

Tenten smiled bitterly. If the situation wasn't so grave, Tenten would've laughed out loud.

"It's funny how a week of anticipation can be changed by just a few seconds of an unexpected encounter."

Tenten was now the only one left in the grounds. All the other contestants have entered.

She breathed in and out slowly as she closed her eyes. When she finally opened them, they were burning with determination.

"I began this ordeal… And now I'm going to finish it…"

**

* * *

**

**BAD NEWS! I don't know when I'll be able to update the next chapter…**

But see, I did promise that I will finish this story right?! So no worries people! I already know what's gonna happen on the next chapters. It's just that I don't have enough free time to write… Sorry again!!

**TILL NEXT TIME!! MWAH!!**


	23. Chapter 23

**I AM BACK!!**

Oh yeah! It feels good to be back! So sorry for the SUPER late update! Please don't get mad at me or plan to kill me or anything! I mean it when I say COLLEGE is a drag! It just doesn't give me time to write anymore!

It's 2 pm right now and I am still writing this story. I'll have to stay up till morning to study for our graded recitation in Philosophy I, Math 11 quiz, and our freaking P.E. exam! I know what you're thinking. WHY THE HELL IS THERE AN EXAM FOR P.E.?! I was thinking of the exact same thing! And the stuff we're studying in P.E. is like The Limbic System?! The hell! That's supposed to be under Anatomy and Physiology! Damn professor! Doesn't know what to teach! It's P.E. for crying out loud! Ehem… I'm rambling again! Sorry!

Anyway, I bet you guys are sick of my ramblings and I bet you're dying to read so here's chapter 23!!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 23: Groupings**

Tenten slowly entered the arena. Her eyes widened as she saw thousands of spectators cheering on their seats. They were jumping, yelling, waving banners and chanting names of the contestant they were supporting. The tension was building and the venue was adding up to everyone's excitement.

Tenten's eyes went back to inspect the fighting grounds. To say that it was huge was an understatement. It looked like a combination of two football fields. It was beyond gigantic.

The contestants were only occupying about one fourth of the arena leaving three-fourths of it bare. Tenten's eyes traveled once more to inspect how the arena was build.

It was rectangular in shape and she estimated it to be able to accommodate more or less 50, 000 spectators. On the top of one side of the rectangle were V.I.P. seats for the Kages of the villages who came to support their contestants. Each Kage was surrounded by their personal guards just in case an unfortunate incident would happened just like the death of the third Hokage during the Chuunin exams about four years ago.

Tenten's thoughts were cut off when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Tenten sighed. This was exactly what she was avoiding. She quickly placed a smile on her face and turned around to greet her peers.

"Hey everyone!"

She received nods, greetings and smiles from none other than Teams 7, 8, 10 and her previous teammate, Rock Lee who was jumping up and down with excitement.

"_Well, at least the Uchiha's not here…"_

"Tenten-san! Isn't this great? The Jounin exams are here! It's here Tenten-san!" Lee shouted.

Tenten simply smiled at his enthusiasm. She stifled a laugh when she saw the exact same expression on Naruto's face. Unfortunately for Naruto, he got hit on the head by an irritated Ino and Sakura. Tenten then turned to Lee and whispered a question to him.

"Hey, Lee… Why are Sakura and Ino so pissed?"

Lee's happy mood turned into a depressed one. Tenten knitted her eyebrows.

"Hey! What's wrong?"

Lee simply sighed as he answered.

"They're both upset because they weren't able to see Sasuke-kun before the Jounin exams. They both had a good luck charm to give him but unfortunately, they haven't seen him yet."

Tenten's eyes fell on the two wooden necklaces Ino and Sakura were holding.

"Are those the one you're talking about Lee?" Tenten asked as she pointed towards the necklaces.

Lee nodded.

"I wish Sakura-chan would give me one!"

Tenten simply smiled as she reached for a scroll and opened it.

"Hm? Tenten-san? What are you doing?" Lee asked in curiosity.

"You'll see." Tenten simply smiled.

All eyes of the Rookie Nine were on them.

POOF!

Then on the scroll was a necklace of some sort with Chinese writings on a rectangular piece of crystal.

Lee's eyes widened at the beautiful shinning crystal.

"Ah!" Naruto yelled as he saw the necklace.

"It's so pretty!" Ino and Sakura stated at the same time. This caused them to glare daggers at each other.

"Wow… What does that mean?" Lee asked as he pointed towards the small engraved writing on the crystal.

"It's Chinese for 'good luck'" Tenten answered as she smiled. She took the crystal as she rolled her scroll and placed it back on her weapons holster.

She smiled at the necklace and then slowly handed it to Lee.

"Here… You can have this."

"What?! You're giving it to him?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Um… Yeah!" Tenten answered as she gave Naruto a weird look.

"Seriously?" Ino and Sakura said once more at the same time.

"Yeah… Why not?" Tenten shrugged.

Lee looked at the necklace then at Tenten then at the necklace then at Tenten once again in disbelief.

"You can't be serious!"

"Why? You don't want it?" Tenten teased.

"I do! But…"

Lee wanted the necklace but he felt like it was something important to Tenten and that taking it would be a crime.

"Then take it!" Tenten said as she moved the necklace closer to Lee. Lee didn't know it he should take it or not.

"You wanted a good luck charm right? Sigh… Here! Let me put it on." Tenten went behind him and tied the necklace much to Lee's protests.

"There! It looks good!" Tenten exclaimed.

"I… Thank you… Tenten-san!" Lee replied with dramatic tears in his eyes.

"Where'd you get it?" Shikamaru asked.

Tenten looked at him surprised. He was never interested in anything so why would he ask her about a necklace?

But of course, Tenten couldn't possibly tell him the truth so she made up an excuse.

"It was in a random store while I was traveling."

Shikamaru looked at Tenten for quite sometime. This made Tenten uneasy but she was trained well when it comes to lying and how to hide her insecurities.

Shikamaru then shrugged as he whispered 'troublesome'.

"_I could have sworn I've seen that crystal in a book somewhere…"_ Shikamaru thought. Luckily for Tenten, Shikamaru was too lazy to even question her further.

Tenten sighed as she remembered exactly where she got that necklace.

**

* * *

**

_(Flashback)_

Tenten wandered around the Avatar temple not knowing what to do. Training would start in an hour and she had no idea why she woke up an hour early. It was now four in the morning and she was still sleepy but what caused her to wake up was still unknown to her.

She continued to wander around the large infrastructure as she admired the carvings and the different artifacts that weren't damaged yet. As she turned around a corner, she saw large door about 12 feet high and ten feet wide. On it were weird pipes curling here and there and on the right and left were two large open pipes.

She tilted her head to the side. Never in her life has she encountered such a bizarre looking door. She slowly approached it and traced the pipes and carving with her hand. On the middle of the door was some sort of circular lock. She tried to look for a handle of some sort but she couldn't find anything. Nothing at all!

(AN: If you guys watch Avatar: The Last Air Bender, this door looks like the door in Aang's air temple where statues of the previous avatars were placed.)

"Damn it… There must be some sort of secret to open this thing!" Tenten sighed. She's pondering on how to open that door for what seemed like an hour already. She stopped searching when she heard someone call out to her.

"Oujo-sama? Why are you up so early? You're always the last one to wake up."

Tenten's eye twitched at the insult.

"Well that's not always the case Yue!"

Yue simply smirked at her reaction. When he realized what Tenten has been trying to do, he simply laughed.

"What? What's so funny? Hey! Do you happen to know how to open this door?" Tenten asked curiously.

Yue was still laughing his ass off at her.

"Hey! I'm serious here! I've been trying to open this since… Oh I don't know! Forever?"

Yue managed to stop laughing and walked towards Tenten and began to explain.

"You see Oujo-sama, this is no ordinary door."

"Yeah! I noticed!" Tenten answered sarcastically. Yue just replied with a laugh.

"No matter how long you search, you won't be able to find a 'secret opening' as you've mentioned earlier."

"Tell me something I don't know…"

"Okay! Okay! To open this door, you need to use air bending." Yue said as he motioned for her to back away.

"Oh… And how do you open it using air bending?" Tenten asked as she walked away from the door.

Yue simply made a stance and concentrated. After a few seconds, he forced a strong gust of wind through the two pipes.

Tenten watched as the different pipes moved and how the lock in the middle of the door turned. She was stunned.

Tenten looked on anxiously as the door slowly opened.

When the door opened, her eyes widened as she saw countless treasures – precious stones, gold and crystals. Her mouth dropped as she drank in every single detail in that humungous room.

"This is my clan's treasure room." Yue stated proudly.

"It is my clan's gifts to your royal family. And yes, these are all yours."

"I am speechless." Tenten shook her head in disbelief as she inspected the different treasures in that room.

"They've been kept here for so long. It's amazing that they all still look so wonderful." Tenten said as she touched a diamond necklace.

"Yes. Feel free to take whatever you want. Like I said every thing here is yours." Yue said.

"I can't believe it." Tenten still couldn't get over her shock.

"As a matter of fact, each clan has their own treasure volts in this temple. Some clans even have more that one. Lucas' clan has the most treasure volts in this temple."

"You're not serious!" Tenten looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh but I am! After training, I'll ask the rest to give you a tour of the other treasure chambers."

"This is all too good to be true." Tenten whispered incredulously. Who would have known that her family had such a crazy amount of wealth?

Yue simply smiled.

Tenten stopped on her tracks when she spotted a crystal necklace.

"What's that?" Tenten looked at Yue as she pointed towards the necklace.

"Oh! That! It's one of the many good luck charms my clan has forged for your family. The writing carved on it is Chinese for 'good luck'. It is made of the rarest crystal in the land. It is rare for only five of those have been found around the world. And all those five are in your possession. That is only one of the five. The other four are place in other treasure vaults."

"Wow… Can I have it?" Tenten asked with hope in her eyes.

"Oujo-sama, everything here is yours. You need not ask me or anyone whether you can take something or not. If you like it, then take it." Yue stated.

"Thank you…"

_(End of Flashback)_

**

* * *

**

Tenten's thoughts were cut off when Lee bear hugged her.

"Ok! Ok! I get it! You're grateful!"

Lee immediately let go of Tenten when they heard an announcement from Shizune.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the fifth Hokage for the explanation on the mechanics of the Jounin exams."

Applause was heard everywhere as Tsunade slowly approached the microphone. She was located on the top of the arena together with all the other Kages who came to watch. She cleared her throat then she began to speak.

"Currently, we have 256 Chuunins participating in this year's Jounin exams. The mechanics that we Kages have agreed upon is a one on one match. It is as simple as that."

Then, people began whispering and the noise grew louder.

"One on one?! How many people are we suppose to fight then?!" Sakura complained.

"Not only that! How long are we suppose to fight?!" Ino added.

"This is so troublesome!" Shikamaru sighed.

"That'll be even more fun!" Naruto said being pumped up.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered.

"Naruto's right! More fights equals more fun!" Kiba stated as the gigantic Akamaru barked.

"You guys are nuts!" Chouji simply said as he continued to eat his chips.

The crowd immediately quieted when they heard Tsunade shout on the microphone.

"As I was saying!" Tsunade continued.

"This is a one on one battle. Since we have 256 participants, we will divide you all into 16 groups. On each group, there will be 16 fighters."

"I knew it was gonna be like that." Shikamaru sighed.

"So we need to like fight eight times in order to win?!" Ino complained.

"And that's not the end of it. If we do win in our group, we need to fight the fifteen other people who will win in each group! Thus, we need to fight eight more times in order to be the winner of this contest…" Sakura added.

"Wait! Slow down… I didn't get it!" Naruto yelled.

"It's simple…" Shino said as he began to explain.

"There are 256 contestants in this contest. The square root of 256 is 16. So they make 16 groups and each group acquires 16 fighters…"

Naruto looked at Shino incredulously as his eye twitched. "Can't you explain it normally? You know? In ways people can understand?"

"_And what the hell is a square root?"_

"Put it in simple terms Shino…" Shikamaru tiredly stated.

Shino sighed. "That WAS the simplest way."

"Look at it this way Naruto…" Tenten began.

Naruto scurried to Tenten's direction and away from Sakura and Ino who were already getting pissed at his questions.

"There are currently 256 contestants right?" Tenten asked. This time, all eyes were on Tenten. They were waiting to see how in the world she was going to explain that to Naruto.

"Yeah!" Naruto enthusiastically nodded.

"So, since the Kages decided on a one on one contest, they need to divide the 256 contestants into groups to make the contest more organized and easier to manage."

"I get that…" Naruto stated.

"So they decided on 16 groups because 16 equally divides 256. Thus, there are16 groups which contains 16 contestants each."

Naruto paused to think for a while and then nodded nonetheless. "Ok."

"And in each group, those 16 people will fight each other one on one until only one person emerges as the winner."

"Ah… And the winner of that group will fight with the fifteen other winners of the other groups, one on one, until only one person will remain the winner! I get it!" Naruto yelled.

Tenten simply smiled.

"Wow! You're a really patient person." Ino told Tenten.

"All in a day's work!" Tenten beamed.

Their conversations were cut short when Tsunade continued to explain the mechanics.

"The groupings will not be decided by us Kages but by the contestants themselves." Tsunade simply smirked.

"What does she mean by that?" Naruto asked.

Before anyone could answer Naruto's question, Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai and Anko came out to the arena, each holding a huge box.

"Ah!" Naruto and Lee yelled at the same time as they each pointed towards Kakashi and Gai.

"Kakashi-sensei never mentioned anything about his role in the Jounin exams." Sakura stated a little disappointed.

"Did Kurenai-sensei tell you anything?" Ino asked team 8.

Hinata, Shino and Kiba all shook their heads.

"Judging from Lee's reaction, I guess Gai-sensei didn't tell him either." Shikamaru added.

Tsunade then began to explain the use of the four boxes.

"As you can see, there are four huge boxes in front of you. In those four boxes are pieces of papers with a letter from A to P. Beside each letter is a number from 1 to 16. Would the four please show a sample?"

Kakashi, Anko, Gai and Kurenai each dug their hands in to the box and brought one piece of paper.

Kakashi was holding a piece of paper with the letter E written on it. Beside it was the number 5. Anko was holding a paper which read "K11". Gai picked a paper that read "O8" and Kurenai got a paper that read "G14".

Tsunade continued to explain.

"As you can see, each paper has a letter and a number written on it. The letter will correspond to your group and the number will correspond to your position in that group. Let us take the four examples…" Tsunade pointed to the huge screen.

The screen showed a picture of the four in their corresponding groups and their corresponding numbers. Kakashi's name was written beside the number "5" under group "E" and beside his name was his picture. The same thing was done to Anko, Gai and Kurenai.

Tsunade began to speak once more.

"Seeing the examples on the screen, I hope you all have a clear view on how the exams will commence. Are there any questions?"

Suddenly, a guy wearing a red cloak appeared beside Tsunade.

Naruto and the others turned their heads towards the guy in a red cloak.

"Hey! How'd he get there?"

He was tall. About a foot taller than Tsunade. He had long jet black hair that defied the laws of gravity. But then again, that wasn't new. Ninjas were always number one breakers of the laws of physics. He had black eyes and a pale complexion. His entire body was covered by his blood red cloak.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura yelled.

Tsunade didn't look the least bit scared.

"What do you want?" Tsunade simply asked without looking at the guy.

"As expected from the Hokage of the Leaf Village…" The guy spoke as he chuckled a bit. His voice was dark and hoarse. It reminded Tsunade of a certain dead teammate she never wished to remember ever in her life.

(AN: The dead teammate is Orochimaru. Sasuke killed him in the Manga. Sorry for the spoiler!)

"If you don't have anything to say, then go back down. You're delaying the exams." Tsunade demanded.

This made the guy chuckle once more.

"Oh but Tsunade-sama… I do have a question."

"Then ask it already!" Tsunade angrily answered.

"Alright… Alright…"

The guy was obviously enjoying the situation.

"Is killing prohibited or not?" He whispered in Tsunade's ear. It made her want to cringe in disgust.

"No. It is not. It is only prohibited when the opponent already gives up. No one is allowed to attack his/her opponent when he/she has already surrendered."

"Is there a punishment if ever someone still attacks a person even though that person has already surrendered?" The man asked once more.

"No. There is no punishment for that because a team has already been prepared to make sure that when a fight is over, no further violent physical contacts will commence."

"Oh… But what if a person manages to get through that team? Does that mean he can still attack his opponent even though the fight is already over?"

Tsunade was fighting the urge not to beat the living day lights out of the idiot. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"Hey! Idiot! What the hell do you think you're doing to the Hokage?! And what the hell do you think you're saying? Get your ass down here and I'll teach you a thing or two!"

Tsunade simply smirked.

"_That's Naruto for you…"_

The guy in the red cloak simply backed away from Tsunade and raised his eye brow at the idiotic ninja wearing bright orange with an even brighter hair color – blonde.

The guy disappeared behind Tsunade and reappeared in front of Naruto. Naruto was taken a back a little at his speed.

The guy simple chuckled.

"What kind of ninja wears orange and has blonde as a hair color?" They guy insulted Naruto.

"The kind who kicks the living hell out of idiots like you!" Naruto was about to lash out but then Lee appeared in front of him to stop him.

"_He's as fast as I am…" _The guy thought as he looked at Lee.

"Don't start a fight before the Jounin exams Naruto-kun!" Lee scolded.

His gaze traveled around the group of teenagers around Naruto. The guy in the red cloak simply laughed.

"At least one of you is smart enough to avoid a fight with me…"

Tenten watched as the guy laughed. Naruto kept on wanting to lash out at him but Lee was consistent on stopping him.

Tenten simply smirked at the dimwit. He wasn't as good as he put himself to be.

"_I'm sure Lee can beat him in less than five minutes."_ She paused to inspect him._ "He's probably thinking that Lee's as fast as he is but little does he know that Lee is still wearing his weights."_

"Kids these days... You think you're so tough? Don't get so full of yourself!"

"Well at least we're already of Chuunin level at this age and going on to become Jounins! Unlike a loser like you!" Naruto insulted.

Kiba and Chouji laughed out loud, Shino smirked, Hinata blushed, Shikamaru chuckled, while Sakura and Ino stifled a laugh.

"Why you little!"

The guy in the red cloak was about to lash out at Naruto.

Luckily, Kakashi and Gai immediately came over to stop any possible fights.

The guy in the red cloak simply grunted.

"This doesn't end here! You best be careful kid." The man paused as he glared at Naruto threateningly. "If we do fight each other, I'll make you regret you ever became a ninja!"

Naruto was about to say his comeback but Kakashi placed a hand over his mouth.

The guy in the red cloak disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Naruto! Stop acting so careless! People here aren't to be messed with! You need to be more serious!" Kakashi scolded.

"B-But! But! Kakashi-sensei! He was an arrogant bastard!" Naruto complained as he stomped his feet on the floor.

Tsunade then spoke once again.

"Since we've wasted enough time dealing with such trivial matters, let us begin with the groupings. Will everyone please form a line on each of the boxes and pick out your group?"

The contestants did as they were told.

"Oi! Tenten-san! Aren't you gonna pick your group?" Lee asked as he paused a little. He was running towards Gai-sensei's box.

"Nope! I'll wait. The line's pretty long." Tenten lied.

The truth was, she was too nervous to pick out a card. She was scared that she might end up fighting Sasuke at the first round. She didn't want to give up before anything started.

"_Damn it. Damn it all!"_

Tenten looked down on the floor. She didn't know what to do if ever that would happen.

Suddenly, she sensed something familiar to her right. She turned her head towards the direction of familiar feeling only to see her four senseis sitting comfortably on the top benches.

"_They sat pretty far…"_

Yue and Griselda were giving her thumbs ups; Mifuyu was waving while Lucas simply nodded. Tenten simply smiled and waved.

She directed her attention to the huge screen and searched for familiar faces. She decided to pick her group after teams 7, 8, 10 and Lee have picked.

She watched as their names slowly appeared on the screen…

Uzumaki Naruto - A7

Shikamaru Nara - B3

Akimichi Chouji - D9

Haruno Sakura - F13

Yamanaka Ino - G4

Rock Lee - H1

Hyuga Hinata - K10

Inuzuka Kiba - M16

Aburame Shino - O11

Tenten scrunched her eyebrows. How come she couldn't find the name she was looking for?

"_Where the hell is Sasuke Uchiha?"_

The line was getting shorter and shorter and there was still no sign of Sasuke's name on the screen.

Tenten's thoughts were interrupted when she heard Lee call out to her.

"Hey! Tenten! What are you still doing there? Pick a group already!"

"Ah… I'm trying to think which box to chose." Tenten immediately stood up. She was debating which box she would approach.

"Does it matter that much?" Lee asked.

"Of course it does! I need to be absolutely logical and analytic about this…"

She slowly closed her eyes.

"Ok… Here goes…"

Lee watched Tenten with anticipation.

"_I wonder what she's going to do… A technique perhaps?!"_

Tenten took a deep breath in and out.

"Eenie, meenie, mayni, mo… which box will I choose to go?"

This caused Lee to fall down anime style. What the heck was analytical and logical about that?

Tenten opened her eyes to look at which box it was pointing to.

"Oh… Looks like that's the box for me…" Tenten nervously approached the end of the line.

Her eyes quickly looked at the screen to search for that dreaded name of his.

"_Why is it not there yet?"_

Tenten made a clicking sound with her tongue as she directed her gaze to the right. She froze at the sight she saw.

Right beside her was Sasuke Uchiha himself. He was in line for the other box. Tenten looked to see that it was Gai's box. She quickly counted the number of people in line in Sasuke's side and in line in her side. They were both the 18th drawer.

Tenten stood up straight and pretended not to see Sasuke. He was now looking at her intently.

Tenten was getting pissed.

"_What the hell is this guy's problem?! Picking the same time to choose…"_

This made Tenten all the more nervous.

"_Shit… What if I get into the same group as he is!? Or worse! What if I end up fighting HIM on the FIRST FREAKING ROUND?!"_

Tenten's mind was going berserk. She didn't want to give up on her first match. She would never live it down. Giving up before she even had the chance to prove herself… People would laugh at her. Belittle her! Her reputation would be ruined forever.

Tenten let out an irritated sigh. Why did these all have to happen now?

"Hello there, Tenten."

Tenten looked up to see none other than Kakashi-sensei.

Tenten was so into her thoughts that she didn't realize that it was her time to pick already.

"_Oh shit!"_

She rolled her eyes to sneak a glance at Sasuke. He was looking at her too. He was waiting for her to pick her card.

"You don't need to hurry. You're both the last two people to pick." Gai-sensei exclaimed.

Tenten looked around only to see that she and Sasuke were the only ones left under Gai and Kakashi's boxes. The rest were in Kurenai and Anko's.

"A lot of people lined up for our boxes so we ran out first." Kakashi explained.

"A-Ah! I see…" Tenten tried her best to relax.

Fate was playing with her right now. What were the odds that only one paper was left in each of Kakashi and Gai's boxes and that she and Sasuke would be the only ones left for it?

Tenten slowly breathed in and out as she placed her hand in the box. She stole a glance towards Sasuke's direction. He was still looking at her waiting for her to finish picking her card.

Tenten finally managed to grasp the last paper in the box. She slowly pulled out the dreadful thing. When the paper was finally out, it read "G3".

Tenten was so busy waiting for Sasuke to pick his card that she didn't bother looking at who her opponent was to be.

When Sasuke finally picked his card, it read "J5".

Tenten's mind did a victory dance but her physical form simply shrugged.

"_YES!"_

"Damn it…" Sasuke silently cursed as he crushed the paper.

Tenten happily walked back to the others but she stopped when she noticed the strange looks they were all giving her.

"I-Is something wrong?" Tenten asked.

Lee simply smiled apologetically and pointed towards the screen.

Tenten looked at it for a second then back at Lee again.

"What?"

Lee sighed.

"Have you seen who your first opponent is?"

"No." Tenten answered as she directed her attention back to the screen to see who her opponent was.

"_Let's see… G3… Oh there I am! And G4 is…"_

Tenten's eyes widened as her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"That's right Tenten-san. You're fighting…" Lee began but Tenten cut him off.

"Ino…"

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END of chapter!

To the fans of **MINE **I am truly sorry that I haven't updated it yet! I am truly sorry! But I will update it! I promise! I'll update it within this week! Maybe Friday or Saturday! Okay guys?! Please don't get tired of it! I'm sorry again!

I love you guys, my readers so much that even though I have tons of stuff to do, I'm still writing! I ain't gonna sleep anymore today because I still need to study! See? I still wrote this chapter even though my schedule is tight! Ad misericordiam! Hahaha…

**DON'T WORRY… DURING SEM BREAK UPDATES WILL BE WAY FASTER!! BUT SEM BREAK IS LIKE… STILL IN OCTOBER! SO SORRY AGAIN!! I LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING!!**


	24. Chapter 24

Hey!! I am back! I know I said I'd update on October 21 but then again, I was depressed from my fucking math exam so I thought of writing a bit to relieve me of my anxiety and stress!

And besides, I feel bad about not updating for so long!

Oh! And **ADVANCE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO "Kiwipie"! **An fellow author in fan fiction who's a friend of mine!

To those who PMed me about when I was gonna update and all that stuff thanks! I appreciate it! Really I do!

To those who tirelessly reads and reviews my stories, thank you so much! You guys have no idea how much it makes me happy when I read your reviews about my stories!!

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!

**If you guys wanna be friends with me just PM me, ok?! I feel happy when other fan fiction authors talk to me!**

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**Chapter 24: Unexpected**

Tenten just stood there in disbelief. She could not believe her eyes. Fate was definitely playing with her right now.

She turned around only to see pairs of eyes looking at her. Some were filled with sympathy, others of surprise and worry while some just stared at her to await her reaction. She looked around the area hoping to get a glimpse of her unexpected opponent.

After a few seconds, Tenten spotted her together with Shikamaru and Chouji. All three of them were looking straight at her with meaningful gazes. She smiled ever so slightly and bowed towards their direction to show her respect.

She then turned around and released a breath she didn't know she was holding back. She looked at the screen once again shifting her gaze from her and Ino's name from time to time. Don't get her wrong. She wasn't afraid of fighting the blonde kunoichi not even a BIT. She was sure she would win. She wasn't over confident or arrogant or anything. She was just looking at the facts. She knew she would win no doubt about that but just the thought that she would fight someone she knew – someone she could almost consider as her friend, bothered her a bit.

Tenten breathed in deeply and sighed. She just couldn't believe her 'luck'. She may have gotten off the hook with Sasuke and Lee but she was still stuck fighting someone else she knew.

"_How troublesome…"_

Tenten smiled to herself at her choice of words. Shikamaru was definitely rubbing off on her.

Tenten's thoughts were cut short when she heard Tsunade's voice blasting out of the speakers. She raised her head to look at Konoha's proud Hokage and waited for her to announce whatever it was that she needed to.

The Godaime cleared her throat.

"Now that everyone has picked their groups, please welcome the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, to give you all additional information about the Jounin exams."

A warm round of applause was heard as cheers from the spectators from the Sand were heard all over the arena.

"I love Gaara", "Gaara-kun Marry me!" and "Gaara – The Best Kazekage of all time!" were a few of the many banners raised by the people from The Sand.

Tsunade slowly back away when she saw Gaara approaching the stage. They politely nodded at each other before Gaara proceeded to the front of the stage to begin relaying the necessary information for the Jounin exams.

"Gaara…" Naruto whispered as he clenched his fists.

Hinata looked at Naruto worriedly but was surprised to see a peaceful smile on his face. Hinata tilted her head to the side as she scrunched her eyebrows. Her attention wavered from Naruto to Gaara until she finally decided to fix her gaze on Naruto – the boy she's had a crush on ever since she was 10. Though Hinata was always observing the hyperactive blonde ninja from afar, she still didn't get how his mind worked at all.

"Hinata… Would you at least listen to the Kazekage speak instead of drooling at Naruto?"

Hinata blushed a million shades of red as she whipped her head towards the sound of the voice. She really didn't need to see who made that ridiculous comment. She knew all too well. But she wanted to at least half-glare at the idiot who never seemed to get tired of teasing her to the ramen-obsessed ninja.

"K-Kiba-kun!"

She was greeted by a smirking Kiba with an all knowing look on his handsome face.

"What?" Kiba said innocently but his smirk was still intact.

Hinata simply huffed as she gave Kiba the 'you-know-very-well-what-I-mean' look.

"I was only stating the facts!" Kiba defensively stated as he rose in hands in defeat.

Hinata simply avoided Kiba's gaze and directed her attention to the Kazekage. This made Kiba smile as he looked back at Gaara. His smile faded slowly as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"_I guess some things never change…"_

"Just like was Tsunade-sama stated…" Gaara began as the whole arena quieted down to hear his announcement clearer.

"We, the Kages, have decided to conduct this year's Jounin exams by using a one-on-one style of battle. Now, I am here in front of you all to tell you how these one-on-one battles would commence." Gaara paused as the crowd began to whisper to each other.

Gaara waited for the crowd to settle down for a bit before he proceeded to speak.

"This arena where we are all in right now will not be used for the elimination rounds. Only the preliminary, semi-finals and finals would be occurring here in this arena. As an alternative, for each group, there is a certain venue allotted where all your battles would be held."

The crowd started to get nosy once again.

"You mean we're all going to be divided?!" Ino complained.

"This is bad…" Shikamaru added.

"What if someone in our team gets into trouble in a fight? How are we supposed to help?" Chouji complained as well as he gave Shikamaru a worried expression.

Shikamaru simply sighed.

"I guess they're doing this so that things won't easily get out of hand."

"True…"

Team 10 shifted their attention towards the direction of voice only to find Team 8 just a few feet away from them. It was Shino who spoke.

"I don't get it!"

The members of teams 10 and 8 all directed their attentions towards the voice. They knew all too well who that person was. After all, he was always the one who never seemed to absorb facts or statements easily.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled in frustration as she followed Naruto who was running towards team 8 and 10.

This caused Shikamaru to whisper 'how troublesome'. He wasn't in the mood to explain anything to the hyperactive ninja.

"Ne! Shikamaru, what did you mean by that? Wouldn't it be better if we all fought here? I mean, it's the reason why all these people came right? To see us all fight?" Naruto asked as he stood right in front of the lazy genius.

This made Shikamaru stiffen a bit. He knew this would happen. He should have just kept his big mouth closed.

"He has a point…" Ino added.

Chouji nodded in agreement.

Shikamaru glanced at all of them. Everyone was waiting for him to explain. This caused him to sigh. He hasn't started explaining yet bet he felt exhausted already.

"Look at it like this…" Shikamaru began as he watched all pairs of eyes on him.

"Imagine what would happen if one of us was fighting an opponent who would not allow the battle to end until he/she has killed whoever he/she was up against." Shikamaru paused as he looked at their faces to see whether they were with him or not. When he didn't sense any confusion among them, he continued once more.

"Let's say Sakura for example." Shikamaru nodded towards Sakura's direction. "Let's say she's the one up against that monster and that that monster was really bent on killing her. What would we do?"

"I'd go out there and kick that monster's ass!" Naruto yelled as he raised his balled fists into the air. His eyes were showing anger and determination. This caused Sakura to smile at her teammate's concern.

"Exactly. We'd help her. We would come to each others' rescue whenever a battle gets too dangers for any of us, which is why the Kages decided to separate all groups. They may not be able to control what group each contestant would get into but at least they could minimize the risks of any dangerous outbreaks that might commence." Shikamaru finished.

"But the monster was being an idiot! How can we not be allowed to interfere?" Naruto complained.

Shikamaru sighed.

"Naruto… Do you honestly think that we're the only ones who know each other and are willing to back each other out?" Shikamaru asked as he looked at Naruto seriously.

"Look around you. People don't enter the Jounin exams alone. Most of them enter in groups because entering alone or by yourself is simply suicidal. The moment we step in to save our teammate is the moment the enemy's team would step in as well. The more people each contestant knows, the bigger the brawl that would occur thus, making it harder for officials to control the flow of the exams and retain order."

Naruto's eyes widened with understanding.

"The problem we have now is: if we can't see each other's fights, we won't be able to save anyone who gets into trouble." Kiba stated.

Shikamaru nodded.

"So what do we do now?" Ino asked in worry.

"I don't know. I guess all we can do is hope that the venues for our battles are near each other. But that's highly unlikely…" Shikamaru answered as he directed his attention to the Kazekage. This caused all of them to look at Gaara once more as he began to speak again.

"In each group, sets of Jounins and Chuunins will be assigned to control the flow of the matches. All battles are to occur simultaneously and the winner for each group will be decided within four days, with this day being day one."

Team 8, 10, Naruto and Sakura were all in shock.

"Four days for all 16 battles! That's insane! Don't we at least get like a day off or something!?" Ino complained.

"So we would fight at least two battles a day?" Sakura exclaimed.

"If we get too injured in one of our fights, use up too much chakra or get too exhausted, we'd be dead in the next." Kiba added.

"Also, don't forget that this isn't like the Chuunin exams. Whether you pass or not is not based on your judgment, character, your leadership skills or anything like that." Shikamaru began. When all eyes were on him he spoke again.

"It's based purely on your skills – how good you are in the three main ninja battle skills – taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu. And since this IS the Jounin exams, each contestant here has probably some sort of special skill up his/her sleeve. If not, they at least know quite a handful of strong techniques."

Shikamaru paused when he heard Gaara speak again. All eyes were on the Sand's Kazekage once more.

"I assume you all know the mechanics on how you will be graded on whether you are fit to become a Jounin or not. It is all about skills, your abilities and the techniques you possess…"

"_That was exactly what I was just saying…"_ Shikamaru thought.

"In other words, it's all about showing off – showing the crowd and the judges how good you are in the three main ninja skills – Taijutsu, Genjutsu and Ninjutsu."

The crowd became noisy once more as the contestants talked to each other. Some showed excitement while some showed worry.

"You guys…"

Teams 8, 10, Sakura and Naruto all looked at Shikamaru. He had a serious look on his face. He was really starting to feel the pressure of the dangers of the Jounin exams.

"I know whether we get promoted or not is based on our techniques… BUT… Be warned…"

"Warned about what?" Naruto asked confused.

"Don't show off too much during the elimination and preliminary rounds." Shikamaru answered.

"But if we don't show off we won't get to become a Jounin!" Naruto argued.

Shikamaru sighed. There was really no getting through that thick skull of his.

Sakura annoyingly hit Naruto's head. This caused his to fall on the ground.

"N-Narut-to-k-kun…" Hinata worriedly whispered.

Kiba glanced at Hinata's worried form and smiled slightly.

"Sakura-chan! What did I do this time!?" Naruto complained as he massaged his head.

"Is there no getting through you?!" Ino yelled.

"You're not supposed to show off that much in the elimination and preliminary rounds so that when the finals come, if you get into the finals that is, your opponent wouldn't know what to really expect of you." Kiba answered.

"Exactly…" Shino agreed.

"But what if you get into a pinch early on in the exams?" Naruto asked once more with a serious look on his face. "You won't be able to avoid using your strong techniques then!"

Shikamaru nodded. "In the end, it's all up to lady luck."

"Now…" Gaara spoke again.

"You are to follow the assigned ninja proctors to your group's destination."

Gaara looked towards a certain direction. This caused the crowd and all of the contestants to look towards that direction as well.

Suddenly, large numbers of ninjas started to head to the arena. Numerous Jounins and Chuunins walked towards the contestants. 16 of those ninjas were holding flags with a corresponding letter written on it.

"If the letter of your group is the same as the letter written on one of those flags, you are to follow that group of ninjas to your destination." Gaara added.

The contestants began to divide themselves as they headed towards the flag with the letter of their corresponding group.

"And lastly…" Gaara paused. He waited for the people to quiet down.

"All of your battles will be shown in this arena for all the people to see." Gaara directed his attention to the humungous screens found all over the arena.

The crowd began to cheer. For a moment there, they all thought that they wouldn't be able to see the contestants they were routing for fight.

"That would be all." Gaara bowed slightly as he headed back to his seat. The crowd clapped for him especially the spectators who were from the sand. Banners were raised and cheers were chanted especially for him.

"Tenten-san!"

Tenten glanced at her right. It was Lee. She had forgotten that he was with her the whole time. She was too busy thinking of how to deal with Ino in the fight that she hadn't noticed she spaced out during Gaara's entire speech.

"Oh! Lee… Sorry! I totally spaced out! Did Gaara say something important?" Tenten asked. She knew it was a dumb question. After all, if he wasn't going to say anything important then why speak in the first place?

Lee sighed.

"You really weren't listening, were you?"

Tenten laughed embarrassedly as she scratched her head.

"Sorry but no…"

Lee sighed once more before he relayed Gaara's entire message to Tenten. After he had finally finished, Tenten simply nodded.

"So now I'm just supposed to follow the ninja carrying a flag with my group letter right?" Tenten asked in reassurance.

"That's right!" Lee exclaimed excitedly. Tenten couldn't help but smile.

"Good luck Lee…"

Lee smiled back at her and gave her the 'good guy pose'.

"You too Tenten-san! I hope we both make it into the preliminary rounds!" Lee cheered.

"_Don't think about that now Tenten… Don't think about that now."_

Tenten faked a smile at Lee as she faced the screen again. Her smile slowly faded as she closed her eyes and sighed. Fate was so cruel to her. She had to fight Ino in the first round and if ever she did win in her group, there was a huge chance that she would inevitably fight one of the people she was avoiding during the whole competition. And knowing him, he was sure to win in his group.

Tenten was currently under group G and Lee was in group H. If they both win in their respective groups, they would end up fighting in the preliminary rounds!

"_Don't think about it Tenten. Don't think about it… Yet…"_

Tenten tried her best to ignore the gravity of the situation. She would just have to deal with things one after the other. She had no choice in the matter anyway so why bother thinking about it?

Tenten sighed as she began to look for the flag with the letter "G" written on it.

She should just be thankful that she didn't land in the same group as Lee or Sasuke.

"_In a way, I should consider this a blessing…"_

Tenten tired to convince herself that she was, indeed, still fortunate. However, as she continued to do so, she found herself cursing the word blessing. She mentally slapped herself because of her irony.

"Maybe it's a curse in disguise as a blessing?" Tenten laughed at her folly.

She continued to search through the crowd of scattered contestants the flag with her group number. After what seemed like hours of searching, she finally saw a flag with the letter "G" on it through the corner of her eye. She immediately walked briskly towards the direction of the flag hoping to see it again. Thankfully her prayers were heard.

There in front of her was a man holding the flag of her group.

Tenten froze. How could she not have noticed earlier?

Those clothes… That hair… Those eyes…

How the hell did she not notice?

She stood there rooted just a few feet away from the man holding her flag.

White eyes seemed to pierce through her soul as each second passed by. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. She just could not and would not believe that this was really happening. Could it be a dream?! An illusion!?

Tenten blinked a few times.

No. This was real and this was definitely unexpected.

"Neji…"


	25. Chapter 25

Hey… Sorry for the late update. I just got back from the province. Unfortunately, our internet connection in our house in the province wasn't working so I was not able to update. I was there for two weeks with no internet connection. So sorry! Also, my mom banned me from using my laptop when I was in the province. How? It's simple. When we went to the province, she intentionally left my LAPTOP in my room in our condominium in Quezon City. So there you have it. No laptop; no stories. It is currently 12:16 am here and I am just about to begin writing this chapter. I didn't want to write yet because of my low inspiration but again I feel so bad for not updating!

Also, one of my readers, **sabaka no sarah**, PMed me and told me that she is having her **birthday **tomorrow on the 11th day on November and well, she asked me if I could post a long chapter of Dragon Seal up for her. Well to sabaka no sarah, I am not sure if I can make this long but I'll try! Happy birthday to you!!! I won't sleep today to make this chapter! Well, this is sort of, maybe, kind of like my present to you! :) Enjoy your birthday!

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**Chapter 25: Departure**

Tenten stood rooted on the spot. She had absolutely no idea how to react or even what to do. She was immobilized by the pair of white eyes staring straight at her as if it were piercing her to the very core of her humanity. This simply could not be happening. What did she ever do to deserve such a thing?

"Neji…" Tenten whispered yet again. The way she had said his name was so soft that ever she herself didn't hear it.

Neji glared at her to no end. If looks could kill, Tenten would probably be dead by now. No, worse than dead. It was as if her corpse was decapitated, thrown into a pit of hungry wolves and her remains thrown into the ocean forever drifting away into nothingness.

The only thing going through Tenten's mind right now was, 'Why me?'

Neji closed his eyes. It seemed as if he did it to restrain himself. Tenten used this moment to release a breath she had no idea she was holding. However, her moment of serenity was cut short when Neji opened his eyes once again. This time his Byakugan was activated. Tenten's eyes grew wide.

"_Is he going to attack me?!"_

Neji suddenly turned his back to Tenten and walked away. Tenten inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled. This was just the beginning but Tenten already found herself hating her decision of joining the Jounin exams.

"Tenten-san!!!"

Tenten turned towards the direction of the voice. Of course she knew that it belonged to none other than the self-proclaimed beautiful green beast of Konoha, Rock Lee.

Tenten shook her head. She was still a bit shocked over the whole 'Neji being in the squad in charge of her group' thing.

"Uh…What is it Lee?"

Lee looked at her with a weird expression.

"Why are you still standing there, Tenten-san? You're group's already heading out! Hurry or you'll be left behind!" Lee stated in an alarming voice as he pointed towards the direction where Tenten's group disappeared to. They were no longer in sight.

"Ah!" Tenten panicked as she ran towards the direction Lee pointed at.

"Hurry Tenten-san! Hurry!" Lee kept calling.

"I will! I will!" Tenten yelled in reply. She didn't look back at Lee but she waved her right hand instead.

"Don't lose to anyone Tenten-san! Promise me you'll make it to the preliminary rounds!" Lee yelled yet again.

This caused Tenten to immediately stop on her tracks.

"Tenten-san?" Lee called. She was just standing there with her back to him.

She slowly turned around to face Lee. Lee's eyes widened at what Tenten was doing.

Tenten was now facing Lee with her right hand up to her shoulder level with her fingers rolled into a 'thumbs up'. Her eyes were filled with determination as her mouth curved into a smile. She was giving Lee the 'good guy' pose.

Lee smiled and did the exact same thing to her when he suddenly dropped his hand. His eyes widened and his face showed concern.

"Tenten-san!!! You're gonna be left behind already!!!"

Tenten's eyes widened with the sudden realization that her group was, indeed, already gone. She completely forgot that she was already left behind thanks to that whole 'preliminary rounds' thing Lee just mentioned.

Tenten immediately turned around and ran towards the direction where her group had gone to. She was tempted to use her glider but she knew that it was off limits. Besides, she wasn't stupid enough to showcase her blood limits. She concentrated some chakra on her feet and speed off hoping to catch up to her respective group.

Lee peacefully smiled to himself as he continued to look towards the direction Tenten ran off too. Suddenly, he heard one of the members of the squad in charge of his group say that they would be heading off to their own venue as well. His smile slowly faded and his face turned into a serious expression. He turned towards his group and glanced at all the different opponents he would meet. Very few of them looked tough but then again, looks could be deceiving.

"No matter who you are put up against, you can not lose."

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Naruto was so full of zeal. He couldn't wait for his fight to start. After all, he didn't just train to bring Sasuke back to the village. He was also preparing for this moment as well – the Jounin exams.

Naruto glanced at each and every one of the people in his group.

"Tch! They don't look so tough! I bet I can beat them with one flick of my finger!" Naruto exclaimed as he placed his hands on his waist and laughed out loud like some maniac.

"Naruto… Don't take the situation too lightly…"

Naruto turned around to see who the voice belonged to. His eyes slowly grew big as he stared in disbelief at the person staring at him.

"Ah!!!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the person standing in front of him.

"Sssshhhh! Naruto! Don't be so loud! You don't want to draw unwanted attention now, do you?" The person in front of him said as he placed a hand over the hyperactive ninja's mouth. He glanced around as if they were spies in a top secret mission and that silence was a must.

Naruto quickly removed the hand over his mouth.

"What are you doing here Iruka-sensei!?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? I'm here to try out for the Jounin exams as well…" Iruka-sensei stated as he smiled at Naruto.

"B-But… B-But… Why? I thought you never wanted to become a Jounin? I thought you love teaching at the academy?" Naruto asked.

"I do! I just wanted to give it a try." Iruka-sensei replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh… What group are you in Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Group A…" Iruka nonchalantly replied.

Naruto's eyes grew big.

"I'm in group A!!!"

Iruka-sensei smiled a bit.

"Looks like we'd be fighting each other then, Naruto…"

Naruto's eyes were now as big as saucers. But then they slowly went back to their normal sizes as they filled with determination.

"You'll have to win on your first few fights first before we meet each other, Iruka-sensei." Naruto said as he smiled a bit.

"I guess you're right. The same thing goes for you." Iruka-sensei smiled at Naruto as he ruffled his hair.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled as he jerked his head away and struggled to fix his hair.

"My, my… Look who's growing up!" Iruka-sensei teased as he watched Naruto struggle with his messy hair.

Naruto turned his back to Iruka-sensei and muttered a 'hmp'.

After he was finally satisfied with his hair, he turned back to look at Iruka-sensei again only to find out that he was no longer there.

"Where'd he disappear to?" Naruto looked around for any signs of Iruka-sensei to no avail.

His eyes suddenly fell on the large screen where the names of all the participants in the whole Jounin exams were located. He grinned at this. He decided to look for Iruka-sensei's name to see how many fights he would need to take before he had to face his sensei.

Naruto's eyes grew big yet again and his mouth fell open.

"Hey! How come his name's not there?"

"Alright, everyone under group A listen up! We'll be heading to the venue for your battles now. Please follow us."

Naruto immediately recovered from his shock and confusion and turned his head to the direction of the voice and saw a man holding a flag with a huge letter 'A' written on it. He began to follow the squad leading his group when he suddenly caught sight of Iruka-sensei beside the man holding the flag for his group.

"Oi! Iruka-sensei!" Naruto called out as he ran towards his sensei.

"You said you were fighting! Why wasn't your name there?" Naruto complained as he pointed towards the large screen.

Iruka-sensei stifled a laugh.

"Naruto! I was kidding! I'm just here to assist as one of the proctors for your group!"

All of a sudden Iruka-sensei laughed out loud as if it was the century's funniest joke.

Naruto sweat dropped at this.

"_I see Iruka-sensei hasn't changed… He's still the same weirdo I knew back during my academy days!"_

Naruto turned to his left sporting a look of slight disgust at his sensei's definition of humor. What he saw afterwards froze him a bit. He suddenly caught sight of his rival – Sasuke Uchiha. He was standing near a group of people who were also probably part of his group. He had his eyes closed and his arms folded.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sight of his rival and teammate – the guy he was never able to beat in anything, the guy who he always dreamed of surpassing and the guy he wished to defeat someday.

Naruto forcefully tore his gaze away from the Uchiha prodigy and glanced at all the people placed in his group. His fists clenched as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were full of fire.

"No matter who you are put up against, you have to win."

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Shikamaru breathed in and out still awaiting for his groups departure.

"_What the hell is taking so long? The other groups left already! How troublesome…"_

Don't get him wrong. He wasn't excited or anything like that. He wasn't overconfident or cocky either. He just wanted this whole thing to be over so that he could get some well needed rest.

"_This is so troublesome! I never should have agreed to take this exam! A higher rank would just mean more work to do! Being a Chuunin is troublesome enough…"_

Shikamaru casually glanced at the different people he would face as discretely as possible. He didn't want any of them to get the wrong idea. He also didn't want to get into any fights before the exams even started. He just wanted to notify himself on the people that he thinks would be the most troublesome to get matched with.

As he glanced around, he saw his reflection on the shiny silver shield hanging on the back of one of the contestants. One thing immediately caught his eye. He glanced at it as it reflected the rays of the sun. He slowly raised his right hand up to his ears and gently touched the small silver earring place on it – the earring that the late Asuma Sarutobi had given to him.

Memories of his sensei rapidly flooded into his mind – how they first met, when they played Shougi, when they did missions, when he would treat him and his teammates for barbeque… everything. How he wished his sensei was still alive. He never even got to see his own son, the baby Kurenai-sensei had just had a few months after his death.

"Everybody under group B. Please follow us to your destination."

Shikamaru sighed as he opened in eyes and placed his right hand into his pocket. It was finally time for them to leave. Shikamaru pushed the thoughts of his sensei away and focused himself on the matches ahead.

Shikamaru smiled a bit at his epiphany. Now he knew why he had agreed to take the Jounin exams. It was because deep down, he wanted to make Asuma-sensei proud. After all, he wanted to be just like him. He wanted to protect the village even if he'd die trying. And also, he wanted to fulfill the promise he made to himself – he would take good care of Asuma-sensei's son and protect him in his sensei's place.

"No matter who you are put up against, you musn't give up."

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Chouji continued to munch on his chips. He never seemed to run out of supply of those. Wherever he went, even on missions, he would always carry what seemed like an uncountable amount of potato chips. This time, however, he wasn't munching on them just because he felt hungry or anything like that. He was munching on them to have something to do so that he could ease his mind and not think about the gravity of the situation.

Right now, tons of things we're rolling around in his mind – lots of questions, countless worries and even unthinkable insecurities. The whole talk Shikamaru gave them before really had a huge effect on him. He never really thought that the Jounin exams could be so dangerous. He never really understood why a lot of people were making such a big fuss about it until just a few minutes ago.

His eating speed increased more and more the more he became anxious. His thoughts were cut short however when he heard a loud voice speak.

"All participants under group D. Please follow us. We will be transferring to another area where all your respective battles will commence."

Chouji breathed in and out. This was it. Just a few more minutes and the bloodbath would begin. Chouji cringed when his mind came across such a horrid word.

"_Bloodbath? There's no way the proctors would allow that to happen… Right? Right?"_

Chouji simply couldn't calm himself down. He was just too nervous for his own good. He slowly followed his group as they began to leave when he suddenly caught sight of his teammate and childhood best friend making his way out of the main arena together with his group. He didn't fail to notice the determination his best friend was feeling just by looking at the way he walked and the expression on his face.

Chouji continued to watch Shikamaru walk away until he was nowhere to be seen. Chouji directed his attention to his group. They were pretty far ahead already. He looked at all of the people in his group as he ate the last potato chip in the pack. He allowed the now empty potato chip pack to fall down to the ground. He smiled a bit as he narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists in excitement. With his nervousness and anxiety now gone, he ran towards his group.

"No matter who you are put up against, you have to give it your all."

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"Alright all of you… Let's go!"

Sakura began to follow her group's squad leaders walking along side the people she would inevitably face. To say she was nervous was a complete and utter understatement. Sure she had faced strong opponents before. Sure she got out of whatever battle she was placed in, alive. But that was mainly because she had help. She had other people with her. She was sort of safe and secure. But now, she was in this alone. She felt as if this was a solo mission, something she never had before. She was always sent on missions with at least two people with her. But now, she was all alone. This was all so new to her and it scared her a bit.

As she continued to walk out of the arena, she was able to get a glimpse of one of her teammates from Team 7, Naruto Uzumaki. He was walking alongside Iruka-sensei. Sakura's eyes widened a bit at this.

"_Iruka-sensei is a proctor in Naruto's group?"_

Suddenly Naruto looked to his left and his whole expression changed. Sakura raised one of her eyebrows and tilted her head to one side. She followed Naruto's gaze only to see that he was looking at none other than the Sharingan wielder, Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura was now gazing at Sasuke as a small blush crept up her cheeks.

"_Sasuke-kun…"_

He was standing with his arms folded and his eyes closed. He looked so cool and handsome in that pose. She smiled as she shifted her gaze from Sasuke to Naruto then back to Sasuke. She couldn't help but recall the last exam all three of them took together – the Chuunin exams.

She could still remember every detail that went on during that time. The written test they took, the forest of death and the fight for the scrolls, the appearance of Orochimaru, the attack of the three Sound Nins, the one on one matches, the appearance of the monster sealed inside of Gaara and a lot more other things that are too painful to remember.

At that time, she was a weak, pathetic kunoichi who didn't know anything but books and facts. Now, she had gotten stronger but deep down she knew she still wasn't strong enough. She's always the one being protected, always the useless and helpless one. No matter how much she wishes to change that, it never seen to do so. She would always end up injuring the people close to her because she's not even strong enough to help herself.

Sakura wiped a tear she didn't know had fallen from her eyes.

"_Damn it! Don't cry!"_

Sakura continued to wipe the other tears that were just too stubborn to stay in her eyes.

"_I really am useless! I even cry so easily…"_

Sakura laughed at herself. She really couldn't do much at the moment in her current state. She knew she wouldn't get through this exam. She knew from the beginning that she would fail. She also knew one more thing and that was that she still had the power to try, the power to decide what she wants to become – the power to choose.

Sakura wiped the remainder of her tears and smiled. She clenched her fists and ran after her group that had gotten quite far away from her.

"No matter who you are put up against, you have to do your best."

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"Well guys, this is it!" Kiba exclaimed as he folded his arms at the back of his head. Akamaru was surprisingly quiet at his side. Who could blame the dog? He could sense the chakras of all the contestants participating in the Jounin exams and he was far from pleased. He was practically mortified.

"G-Good luck to all of us…" Hinata said as she politely bowed. Even though they've been together for quite a while Hinata still stuttered every once in a while but she had improved already.

"You guys should take care…" Shino stated.

"Who're you asking to take care? I'll beat every single asshole in my group just wait and see!" Kiba conceitedly replied. "You should worry about yourself Shino."

"K-Kiba-kun…" Hinata said as her eyes narrowed a bit as if saying 'yeah right'.

Kiba and Hinata have gotten quite close over the years and the once shy kunoichi wasn't afraid of letting the Inuzuka clan prodigy how she truly felt about him and his arrogance.

"Don't get so cocky Kiba or else you'll regret it." Shino warned.

Kiba rolled his eyes and sighed. Shino was always like this. Whenever Kiba would have 'fun', Shino would always be there to ruin the moment and make him do 'the right thing'. It was almost as if Shino was his big brother always telling him 'that's wrong', 'this is right', 'do this not that'… Well, it's not like it's that irritating but sometime he wished Shino would loosen up.

"Fine. Fine." Kiba waved a hand in the air before he glance at his teammates seriously. "No matter who we are put up against, we have to fight till the end."

"Let's all do our best in the exams…" Hinata said. Kiba and Shino nodded.

"Let's do it to make Kurenai-sensei proud…" Kiba added as he turned around and headed for his group.

Shino looked at Kiba's retreating back for a moment and headed to his own group as well.

Hinata smiled at both of her teammates glancing at each of them every now and then.

"Right… Let's make Kurenai-sensei proud…"

She turned around and her smile faded.

"And hopefully… Father as well…"

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Tenten jumped from tree to tree hoping that she would already catch up to her group. She's been running after them for quite a while but there still was no sign of them whatsoever. She continued to search for them glancing to her right and left occasionally until she caught sight of a large number of people heading somewhere to her right. She stopped for a moment to scrutinize of it was the group that she belonged in to her surprise.

There at the back of the group was the infamous avenger, Sasuke Uchiha. She didn't stand around any longer. She immediately continued to run and look for her group before Sasuke could get a chance to notice her presence. She quickly focused her chakra onto her feet and jumped far away as if her life depended on it.

After she was sure she had gotten quite far away, she stopped on a branch to catch her breath.

"_Whew… That was close…"_

Tenten sighed as she wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from her forehead.

"_Where the hell is my group? They couldn't have gone that far away…"_

As if projecting her thoughts, she instantly caught sight of a white flag with the letter 'G' written on it.

"There!"

She jumped off the branch onto another and then another until she finally managed to see most of the participants in her group. She hurriedly rejoined them. She was finally relieved to have found them at last.

Then, she caught sight of the man holding the banner of her group, the rookie of the year of his batch, the Hyuga prodigy and her former teammate, Neji Hyuga.

Tenten frowned a bit. He still hasn't forgiven her and she really didn't know why.

"_I thought he'd be happy if I leave…"_

She was really confused. They were never really close and he always seemed to treat her as the weakness of Team Gai. She wouldn't deny that though. She was, in a way, Team Gai's weakness. No matter what she did she could never really catch up to Lee and Neji. They were just too good. One was a genius; one was an unbelievably committed hard worker, while she was just an ordinary kunoichi dreaming of one day becoming just like her idol, Tsunade-sama.

Tenten mentally slapped herself for being such an idiot. Why was she thinking of all these negative things that were nothing but distant memories from the past?

"_I'm such an idiot!"_

Tenten smiled to herself when she remembered the talk she had with Mifuyu when she relayed to her what happened to her in her past just a few days ago before the Jounin exams.

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(Flashback)

"Tenten-sama, please don't keep thinking of all these things all of the time. Sure you've made mistakes, who doesn't? At least now you have a chance to prove yourself to them once more. You've finished most of your training and you've become more powerful than any of us could have ever imagined! You don't deserve to wallow in your own regrets and punish yourself like this…" Mifuyu said as she placed a hand on Tenten's shoulder.

Tenten looked at Mifuyu and smiled sadly.

"I know. But I can't help it. I've made so many stupid mistakes in the past, some were even unforgivable." Tenten looked down as she recalled what had happened to Lee on the day of her last mission in Konoha.

Mifuyu sighed out loud and placed her other hand on Tenten's other shoulder and shook her a little bit.

"You won't get anything good out of punishing yourself. You should keep in mind that there will always be reasons to become sad but there will never be reasons to stay sad." Mifuyu paused for a moment when she saw Tenten raise her head to look at her. She was surprised by what Mifuyu had just told her.

Mifuyu then continued, "You said it yourself. You've done so many mistakes in the _past_. That was then, and this is now. In the end of the day, people won't look at what you have achieved but what you can achieve."

Tenten was speechless.

"Tenten-sama, you're too smart to be stupid. You're too blessed to be stressed! Losers _let_ things happen while winners _make _things happen."

Tenten continued to look at Mifuyu still a bit taken aback by the words she had just spoken. She was still letting them all sink in.

Mifuyu smiled at Tenten as patted her head.

"See Tenten-sama? Life is too short to be thinking about our past mistakes. That's why we have the present and the future to make up for all of it. Nobody has the power to make things perfect but everyone is given countless chances to make things right."

Mifuyu stood up and walked towards the door of Tenten's room.

"You should go to sleep now. You still have training early in the morning. You wouldn't want to slack off now, do you?"

Tenten looked at Mifuyu and slowly nodded.

Mifuyu smiled and opened the door but then she stopped for a while and looked back at Tenten.

"One more thing, if there will be times wherein you get too stressed, just remember this, the word 'stressed' is just 'desserts' spelled backwards." Mifuyu said as she winked at Tenten and closed the door.

(End of Flashback)

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Tenten continued to smile to herself.

"_Desserts, huh?"_

Tenten looked to her right and froze a bit. She was so engrossed with her thoughts that she only realized that she was traveling along side her opponent the whole time.

"Oh, hello Ino…" Tenten greeted.

"Hey…" Ino replied.

Tenten had no idea what to say. After all, what was there to say?

All of a sudden, they arrived in a huge clearing with a huge waterfall located in front of them.

"_We're here…"_ Tenten thought.

"This is where all your battles will be held until only one of you is left."

Tenten turned her head to the direction of the person speaking. It was Neji of course.

"Only the first fighters will be standing here in the middle of the clearing while the others will be moved over to that area."

All participants followed the direction of Neji's gaze and saw a large wooden platform raised above by at least 6 feet.

"Participants who are not yet due to fight are not allowed to engage in battle. If you do, you will be disqualified from taking the exams."

"Hey! There was nothing like that on the guide I read for the exams!" one participant complaint.

"Yeah! They didn't say no nothin' 'bout not being allowed to fight others while some other idiot's fight's going on!" one unbelievably large and muscular man yelled as he walked towards Neji. He was dark skinned; bald but had a huge metal helmet on his head. His body sported quite a number of scars. He also had a giant axe hanging behind his back.

Some of the participants cringed in fright at the appearance and voice of the huge man but Neji didn't budge at all. He simply looked up at the man about three and a half feet taller than him indifferently.

"What?! You wanna fight pipsqueak?!" The huge man yelled.

"_What a dumb looking idiot…" _Tenten thought as she closed her eyes.

"_He looks absolutely horrible!"_ Ino thought as her face showed disgust and fear.

Neji narrowed his eyes slightly at the idiot who was stupid enough to even try to intimidate him.

"There was, indeed, nothing like that written on the guides. But if you really read it or if you could even read, for that matter, you wouldn't have missed the part that said we proctors are allowed to vary the rules to certain extents whenever we see it necessary." Neji replied as he folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"HUH?!" The huge man yelled as he bent a bit to stare Neji straight in the face.

"Are you implying something?! Huh pipsqueak?! Are you telling me I don't know how to read?!"

"_What the hell is this idiot's problem?! Why is he picking a fight with Neji?! Can't he even sense how strong Neji is compared to him? What a dumb ass…" _Ino thought.

Neji was really at the limit of his patience. This idiot was pissing the hell out of him. If he called him 'pipsqueak' one more time, he swore he'd beat the living hell out of him.

Neji opened his eyes and half glared at the dumb ass. He was holding back his irritation because the rules forbade him to fight with any of the participants unless he was attacked first or unless a participant has broken one of the major rules in the exams.

"I didn't imply it. I said it." Neji replied.

"WHAT?!" The huge man yelled as he pulled his axe from behind is back with his right hand as if preparing for a fight.

"That's enough. How dare you disrespect our squad leader!?" One of the proctors said to the dumb ass.

"Shut up! I ain't talking to you!" The dumb ass yelled in reply.

"Why you…" The proctor that just spoke was getting pissed as well but then one of the other proctors held him in the shoulder and told him to calm down.

"How dare he disrespect Neji? He'll soon be promoted into the ANBU Special Forces and is even candidate for the position of captain! He has no right to talk to him like that!" the other proctors whispered to each other.

"_This is called the fearlessness of the ignorant."_ Tenten thought.

Neji managed to calm himself down and looked at the dumb ass yet again but this time indifferently.

"Right now, you're delaying the exams. The first fight will begin soon. I'm gonna have to ask you to head to the platform to your right."

Neji turned around to leave.

All of a sudden, the huge man raised his axe and brought it down on Neji's retreating form.

Loud gasps were heard throughout the clearing as the axe descended towards Neji. A loud crash was heard and the clearing was enveloped in dust.

Coughs were heard from the participants as the proctors yelled for their squad leader.

"You aren't so tough!" The huge man laughed. "Let's see you insult me now!"

"What happened?!" Ino asked.

When the smoke finally disappeared, there stood Neji just a few centimeters away from the embedded axe. He was facing the huge man indifferently with the axe on his left side. One of his eyebrows was raised in a way that said 'was that supposed to scare me?'.

The ground below the axe was absolutely crushed about five meters in radius. A lot were surprised to see that Neji wasn't injured at all. His clothes were still fine and his hair still untangled and flowing. He wasn't affected at all in any way. The huge man eyes grew big in surprise.

"How did he?!"

"There's no way he couldn't have been injured being that close to the axe!"

"That's unbelievable!"

"What insane speed…"

"When did he?!"

"_Well, I guess the people who're shock are the weak ones while the ones who look indifferent or just slightly surprised are the ones I should be careful of…" _Tenten thought. The brainless idiot had his use after all.

She was analyzing how the people around her reacted to see which one of them were the ones to be cautious of. There was quite a lot who were shocked by Neji's display of speed while there were only a few who remained impassive.

Speed was definitely only one of the most important skills needed by a ninja but for Tenten; it was the most important one. If they were stunned by Neji's little display, then that would only mean that they wouldn't be that much of a fight.

"_It really doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't even hit your opponent."_ Tenten thought. It was what her four senseis have been telling her over and over and over again when they were training to improve her speed.

The huge man narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He was about to raise his axe again when all of a sudden Neji placed his left foot on it. The huge man tried desperately to raise his axe up out of the ground to no avail.

Neji folded his arms and smirked slightly as if saying 'try all you want, you won't be able to anyway'. The huge man was angered by this and he tried to pull the axe up with all his might. Still, the axe wasn't budging.

"How is that even possible?!"

"I can't believe this…"

"He can't raise the axe just because the other guy's foot is on it?!"

The participants were whispering to themselves as they watched the scene.

"_What an idiot! He doesn't even realize what Neji's planning to do next!"_ Tenten thought as she rubbed her head. She was feeling embarrassed for the huge guy who was incredibly stupid enough to even challenge Neji.

"LET GO!!!" The huge man yelled. He was holding the axe with both hands and he still couldn't pull it out of the ground thanks to Neji's foot.

Neji was still in the same position with his hands folded on his chest and his mouth in a slight smirk.

"LET GO!!! PIPSQUEAK!!!" The huge man yelled yet again pulling with all his might.

That was exactly what Neji was waiting for.

The moment the man uttered the 'magic word', Neji complied with his request.

He immediately removed his foot off the axe. Since the huge man was pulling it with all his might, the axe came rushing towards him in a swift motion.

BHAM!

The axe hit his head. Thank heavens he had a thick metal helmet on or else his head would have been split in half. The huge man slowly backed away and fell backwards unconscious. The participants just looked at Neji in awe at how easily he had defeated the monster.

"Who is the opponent of this idiot?" Neji asked impassively.

One man in the group nervously raised his hand.

"Sir, he's one of the first two fighters in this group." One of the proctors replied.

The rest of the proctors were calmly waiting for Neji's decision on the matter.

"Well then, since he is no longer eligible to fight," Neji paused as he tilted his head towards the huge man lying unconscious on the floor.

"His opponent wins the first round." Neji replied much to the delight of the huge man's opponent for having to win without doing anything at all.

"Yes sir…" one of the proctors replied.

"Let's proceed to the next fight then." Neji ordered.

The proctor scanned the names on the paper placed on his wooden board for the names of the next two fighters.

"Tenten vs. Ino Yamanaka"

**

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**

There you have it...Thanks so much to the reviewers of the previous chapter again!!!! I love you all for reading and leave a review while you're at it!!!

I am now going to sleep!


	26. Chapter 26

I'm here again people! Sorry again for the long wait!!! Even though I've got loads of homework to be accomplished and not to mention my exams are to be taken during the second week of January, I'll still try my best to update faster this Christmas break.

Anyway, like I said, I'm not promising fast updates or anything like that! All I'm promising is that I will continue and finish this story and my other story **MINE** no matter what it takes! So please do not get mad or angry or sick of this story because I am and will try my best to make it good and finish it till the end…

So, without further ado, here's chapter 26!

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**Chapter 26: Tenten vs. Ino**

"Will the fighters named Tenten and Ino please come forward?" The proctor holding the wooden board with the schedule of matches exclaimed as he looked around for the two fighters.

"Here…" Tenten slowly walked forward as she raised her right hand and smiled at the proctor.

"Here…" Ino said as she walked towards the proctor as well.

"May all fighters aside from these two head over to the waiting area so that the scheduled fight may begin?" The proctor added.

Groans and mutters were heard from the crowd of fighters as they headed towards the waiting area.

Neji moved away from the middle of the clearing to the side of the judges. He definitely didn't expect to have Tenten and Ino fight this early on in the elimination rounds. And even though he wouldn't admit it, he was curious to see how much Tenten has improved over the past three years of her disappearance.

Tenten glanced at Ino and bowed respectfully at her.

"It's too bad we both have to fight each other this early on in the Jounin exams huh?" Tenten said as she looked at Ino with a slightly remorseful face.

"Yeah… I guess it is." Ino replied as she closed her eyes, placed both of her hands on her hips and sighed.

"Let's both try our very best!" Tenten exclaimed. She smiled at Ino as she raised both her arms and balled her hands into fists.

"I guess we both have to indeed…" Ino smiled as she nodded.

"Are both fighters ready?" The match supervisor asked.

Tenten and Ino both nodded. They both jumped backwards away from each other at a considerable distance.

"_I can't let this fight last long…I don't want to hurt Ino… I have to finish things quickly…" _Tenten thought to herself.

"The first fight of the elimination round under group G…" The supervisor began as he raised his right hand and place it in between the two fighters.

Tenten and Ino both readied themselves. Tenten slowly moved her hand behind her back just below her huge scroll to get ready to take it out whenever she saw it fit. Ino, on the other hand, dug her hand in her weapons holster waiting for the go signal.

"_I don't know what to expect from her at all! But I do know one thing…" _Ino thought as she remembered what Sakura told her right after she found out that Tenten would be her opponent.

**

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**

_(Flashback)_

"_I'll be fighting against Tenten, eh?" _Ino thought to herself as she glanced at the white paper in her hands. It read G4.

"_Well, looks like luck isn't very nice to me today…"_

Ino was about to walk back to where Shikamaru and Chouji were only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at the owner of the hand only to see Sakura.

"What do you want forehead?!" Ino asked irritated.

"Just shut up and listen to me, pig!" Sakura retaliated but she managed to control her anger.

"Well? What the hell do you want?" Ino asked again still irritated.

Sakura's expression changed into an angry one to a more serious one.

"Ino…" Sakura began as she removed her hand from Ino's shoulder.

"What?" Ino's eyes widened a bit at Sakura's seriousness. Now she really was curious. What did Sakura want?

"I have to tell you something…" Sakura said as she sighed.

"Well? What is it? I don't have all day you know!" Ino yelled. She was getting impatient.

Sakura was fighting the urge not to hit the noisy blonde. She breathed in and out.

"It's about that person…" Sakura said as she looked somewhere else.

Ino followed her gaze only to see Tenten and Rock Lee talking.

"What? You finally admit you love Lee?" Ino smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"What the hell?!" Sakura yelled as he eyes popped out.

"Oh come on forehead! You don't have to lie about it! I mean, everyone knows about it already!" Ino said as she laughed hysterically with the back of one of her hands slightly covering her mouth.

"Oh just shut up Ino pig!" Sakura yelled.

"You shut up forehead girl!" Ino replied.

"Argh! Ino! Now is not the time for this! I have something important to tell you!" Sakura said as she waved her right hand to her side.

"Then what the hell is it?!" Ino said irritated.

"I was about to tell you before you rudely interrupted me!" Sakura answered.

"Fine! Then tell me already!" Ino demanded.

"It's about Tenten."

Ino's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She certainly didn't see this coming.

"Well? What about Tenten?"

"Well…" Sakura paused for awhile as she recalled the match Tenten had with Kakashi and how easily she was able to get the bells from him.

"All I'm saying here is that you should be careful when you fight her. She's… Well, I'm still not sure what she is really capable of but I know one thing… She's insanely fast." Sakura explained.

"How fast?" Ino asked as he eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"Faster than me… Faster than you…" Sakura said as she pointed at herself then Ino and she paused for sometime to think of a person she could compare Tenten's speed with during the match she had with Kakashi.

"Is there anyone you can think of whose as fast as her so I can at least have an idea of how fast she is?" Ino asked as she raised one of her eyebrows at Sakura.

"I'm thinking! Well… Maybe… Maybe even as fast as Lee…" Sakura answered.

"As… As fast as Lee?" Ino's eyes were wide in surprise and disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken…" Sakura said.

Ino's eyes then narrowed in doubt.

"How can I be so sure you're not doing this to freak me out and get me out of the exams for good huh?"

"Wha-Why the hell would I do that?!" Sakura yelled.

"Oh I don't know! So that I won't be able to become a Jounin of course! You're obviously just jealous of me!" Ino answered.

"I-I don't believe you would think so lowly of me!" Sakura replied as her nostrils flared with fire in anger.

"Hmp! Knowing you, you'd try anything to finally beat me!" Ino stated.

"What the?! Ok fine! Think whatever you want to think! That's the last time I'm warning you about anything!" Sakura yelled as she stomped away from Ino.

_(End of Flashback)_

**

* * *

**

Ino breathed in and out to calm herself down. No matter how hard she thinks of it, Sakura would never do anything as low as try to intimidate Ino before a fight unless she herself was to fight with her.

"_If Sakura really is telling the truth, and I hope she's not, then I have no idea what I'm going to do to defend against her!"_

"Tenten vs. Ino Yamanaka…" The supervisor paused as he looked at each of the fighters still looking for the right moment to announce the start of the match.

"_Shit… It's beginning… I didn't even prepare for this at all!"_

Ino gripped a kunai in her weapons holster. No matter what happened, she had to win. This was what she, Shikamaru and Chouji promised to each other and to Asuma-sensei well.

**

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**

_(Flashback)_

"Asuma-sensei! We're here!" Ino yelled while running.

"Ino! Quiet!" Chouji said.

"Don't you know where we are?!" Shikamaru added.

"Of course I do!" Ino replied as she stopped running. She was hugging a bouquet of lilies to her chest.

"Then why do you keep on yelling? Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru stated as he continued to walk. He was carrying a wooden pail filled with water with a small scoop floating on it.

"What's wrong with letting Asuma-sensei know we're here?!" Ino argued.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you tell him that when we reach him. That way you don't have to shout. What do you think, Ino?" Shikamaru sarcastically said.

"Whatever…" Ino replied as she skipped towards Asuma-sensei's tombstone. She gently placed the flowers on the grass, kneeled down, clasped her hands and bowed her head.

Shikamaru followed placing the bucket of water down to Ino's left and bowing.

Chouji walked to Ino's right and took out the incense sticks. He placed a few on a porcelain jar and carefully placed the jar in front of the flowers. He took out a lighter and lighted the incense.

Ino stood up and spoke.

"Hey Asuma-sensei! The three of us are going to enter the Jounin exams three months from now!"

"Hey, what do you mean the three of us?" Shikamaru complained.

"Huh? You're not taking the exams Shikamaru?" Chouji asked a bit surprised.

"No." Shikamaru simply replied as he turned away from the two.

"Why not?" Ino asked in his ear.

"Damn it Ino! Because it's too troublesome!" Shikamaru replied as he massaged his right ear.

"You have to enter!" Ino demanded.

"Why the hell should I?!" Shikamaru argued.

"Because we're going to promise to Asuma-sensei that we'd at least get pass the elimination rounds during the Jounin exams!" Ino replied.

"What?!" Shikamaru and Chouji replied simultaneously.

"Yup! We're here to promise that to Asuma-sensei!" Ino stated.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru said.

"So you have to enter! We all have to enter!" Ino said as she looked at Shikamaru with hopeful eyes.

"Well… I…" Shikamaru paused to look at Chouji for help only to find him having the same hopeful eyes as Ino.

"Tch… Fine!" Shikamaru finally agreed.

"Yes!" Ino and Chouji replied simultaneously.

"Hear that Asuma-sensei? This is our promise!" Chouji said.

"We'll make you proud and at least get through the elimination rounds!" Ino added.

"Hmp… Troublesome…" Shikamaru simply stated.

"Ah! And the first one who gets eliminated treats barbeque!!!" Chouji added.

Ino and Shikamaru visibly twitched.

"NO WAY!!!"

_(End of Flashback__**)**_

**

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**

Ino clenched her fist and she gripped the kunai even tighter with her other hand.

"_I initiated that promise… So I can't lose! I mustn't lose no matter what!"_

"Ready…" The proctor said once more.

After a few more seconds, the proctor raised his hand swiftly up into the air signaling the beginning of the fight.

"BEGIN!!!"

**

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**

Sasuke had his back to a tree. His arms were folded on top of his chest and his eyes were closed. But even though he was in such a relaxed position, irritation was evidently etched on his handsome face. After all, who could blame the Uchiha avenger if he was placed in such a group filled with morons and ignorant idiots who just didn't know what the word 'rules' meant.

"That way would be better!" One of the contestants in Sasuke's group yelled as he laughed sadistically.

"Yeah! Let's have some fun!" Another agreed.

Soon, almost all the contestants of group J were agreeing with the statement the most moronic contestant of them all suggested. The proctors of the group were struggling to discipline the contestants and keep things in order but the fighters were just too wild.

"_Tch… These morons have no brains at all…" _Sasuke thought as he opened his eyes to see the rowdy scene unfolding before him. His eyes then fell on to the moron who was the root of this mess.

**

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**

_(Flashback)_

"Here are the rules of the elimination round…" One of the proctors began as he glanced at the head proctor who was supposed to be in charge of explaining all necessary rules of the exams. Unfortunately, the head proctor was too busy enjoying a green-colored book entitled "Icha Icha Paradise". Go figure. The proctor who spoke then looked at his companions oddly before continuing to speak.

"This empty clearing is where all your battles will be held until only one of you is left. It's been explained that the matches will be done using one on one combat. Only the first fighters will be standing here in the middle of the clearing while the others will be moved over to that area over there. That will serve as your waiting area and also a place for you to observe fights." The proctor paused to look at Kakashi, the head proctor of group J, hoping to have him interrupt and continue the explaining himself. Unfortunately, Kakashi was still too engrossed with his perverted book to even care about what was happening.

The proctor sighed and continued once more but before he could, one of the contestants spoke.

"Hey!"

"Excuse me?" The proctor replied as he raised his eyebrow at the idiot who rudely interrupted him.

"Screw the one-on-one fights! Let's just have an all out brawl! And the last man standing will be crowned the winner!" The contestant said.

Soon, some of the contestants of group J started butting in and agreeing with what the first contestant stated.

"Yeah! That way, we'd save time and chakra…"

"Now that's what I'm talking about."

"Why have a couple of one on one battles if you can wipe 'em all out in one go?"

_(End of Flashback)_

**

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**

And that was how it all began. Sasuke turned his head towards the head proctor of his group who was standing just a few feet away from him to his right. Kakashi was simply ignoring the scene happening before him as he concentrated on reading his book while smiling and laughing to himself.

Sasuke sighed as he closed his eyes. He couldn't believe this. He was in a group filled not only with morons but also with incompetent people who didn't seem to care at all.

"Aren't you going to do something about this?" Sasuke asked the head proctor as he continued to observe the ridiculous scene in front of him.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked innocently as he looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed.

"You're the head of the proctors. You're supposed to do something. It's your responsibility." Sasuke said as he half glared at Kakashi. He was getting irritated with the noise and immense stupidity around him that he felt he would explode any moment and end up killing every single moron in that clearing right then and there.

Kakashi sighed as he placed his book back to his weapons holster.

"Alright then…" Kakashi said as he smiled.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit as he watched Kakashi walk over to the scene. Somehow, he did not like Kakashi's smile just now.

"Ehem… Can I have your attention please? Um… People? Hello?" Kakashi began as the crowd slowly quieted down.

The proctors of the group sighed to themselves in relief. Finally, Kakashi was doing something.

"Yes… Well, now that I have your attention…"

Kakashi breathed in and out as he looked around glancing at the proctors and contestants with that smile still plastered on his face.

"If a brawl is what you guys want, then a brawl is what you guys will get." Kakashi stated.

Cheers were heard from the participants while the proctors headed towards Kakashi hurriedly in shock of his decision. They thought that they could finally relax since Kakashi was heading everything but boy were they wrong.

Sasuke simply massaged his temples.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke whispered to himself. Just trust Kakashi to make outrageous decisions out of the blue.

"K-Kakashi-sempai, not to disrespect or anything but a-are you sure you can do this?" One of the proctors questioned Kakashi.

"The Kages themselves made the rules for the Jounin exams and they specifically said that it is to be done using one on one fights." Another proctor added.

"Because that way, we'd at least be able to find worthy people who deserve to become Jounins even though they don't make it till the end of the exams." Yet another proctor added.

"I know. I know. But the head proctors are allowed to change the rules whenever they see it fit. And I think this situation calls for a change in rules." Kakashi said as he headed back to his initial position – a tree at one end of the clearing.

The proctors followed him still throwing doubts and questions at him for his reckless judgment but all other objections were ignored. The proctors had no other choice but to follow Kakashi's out of this world orders.

Kakashi leaned on the tree yet again and pulled out his beloved "Icha Icha Paradise" book. He paused for a second to look at Sasuke. He was giving him a look that said 'you haven't changed one bit'.

"What?" Kakashi asked innocently as he gave Sasuke the most innocent look he could muster.

"You told me to do something… And I did…" Kakashi said pissing Sasuke off even more.

"Whatever." Sasuke said as he pushed himself off the tree he was previously leaning on and was about to walk to the middle of the clearing to join all the other fighters only to be stopped by Kakashi's statement.

"Why the long face? Afraid you won't make it to the next round?" Kakashi asked as he tilted his head to the right. He was smiling a bit under his mask amused at how pissed his former student is.

Sasuke smirked as closed his eyes. He opened then yet again and turned to face his previous sensei.

"I'm not worried. This will be over in three minutes at most." Sasuke said smugly.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kakashi said as he raised one of his eyebrows. What is just him or did Sasuke get even more arrogant since the last time he talked to him?

Sasuke gave Kakashi one more smug smirk before he headed to the middle of the clearing.

"May all fighters please get ready…" One of the proctors said as he gave Kakashi one more look hoping to get his disapproval only to be met with a smile and a thumbs up. The proctor sighed and signaled the start of the all out brawl.

**

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**

Shikamaru sighed as he slowly stood up. His first match was over and he had won. He headed back to the waiting area to rest. He didn't use up too much chakra and he found his first match relatively easy. He was lucky he didn't have to fight some crazy monster or something.

He looked up at the clouds wondering how all the other Konoha Chuunins were doing.

"The pressure from the first match is usually the greatest. I sure hope the others won't let it get to them."

Shikamaru sighed as he turned his attention to the next match in his group much to his dismay.

"Tch… They're not even worth my time." Shikamaru said as he watched a black haired guy fight it out with a blonde haired girl.

Thanks to the blonde haired girl, Shikamaru suddenly remembered Ino.

"_Ino… She's fighting against that girl from Neji's team…"_

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the Chuunin exams he took.

"_She was the one who fought against Temari and lost…"_ Shikamaru thought as he placed his hand on his chin. _"She was pretty good."_

"_After three long years, how much has she improved? Will Ino be able to take her?"_

Shikamaru kept on thinking as he recalled all the missions he's had with Ino lately.

"_Ino's improved quite a lot already. If Tenten still uses the same style of fighting, then maybe Ino could have a chance. Unfortunately, all data we have of Tenten was with her fight with Temari three years ago. It's too insufficient."_

Shikamaru closed his eyes in irritation. There was a big chance that Ino would lose against Tenten but there's also a chance that she could win IF and only if Tenten still remained the same way she was three years ago. But that was impossible.

Shikamaru looked up at the clouds. He prayed to the heavens for Ino's victory.

"_After all, we're doing this for Asuma-sensei… If Ino loses, she would be crushed…"_

**

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**

Rock Lee jumped up into the air with his hands up and balled into fists. He had won his first round without even breaking a sweat. He turned around and saw Gai-sensei at a corner giving him the good guy pose. Lee's eyes swelled up with tears.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Lee burst into tears and ran to his sensei giving him a hug. He was lucky to have Gai-sensei as the head proctor of his group. That way, he could have all the inspiration he needed.

"Oh Lee! How you've grown up indeed!" Gai-sensei said as he hugged his mirror image tears still freely flowing from his eyes.

"Thank you! Gai-sensei!" Lee replied with the same freely flowing tears.

"This is the power of youth!!!" Gai-sensei added.

"Yes sensei!" Lee answered.

All of the people present in the clearing looked at the two with nauseous expressions as they watched the background of Lee and Gai change into a beach with a setting sun. How that happened, no one really knew.

The two released each other from their hug and their expressions changed into serious ones.

"This is only the beginning Lee. You can't be too overconfident!" Gai stated.

Lee nodded. His eyes were brimming with adoration at his sensei.

"You still have a long long way to go, Lee! But I know, deep within my heart, that you, you Lee! You can do it! Do it with the power of youth!" Gai said as he gave Lee the good guy pose again.

"Sensei!" Lee said as he balled his hands into fists and raised them up in front of his face. His eyes were filled with determination.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

While the two were doing there unusual display of affection towards each other, everybody in the clearing was happily ignoring their antics as they watched the next fight occur.

**

* * *

**

"BEGIN!!!"

Ino sped up towards Tenten the moment the match supervisor raised his hand. She charged straight on at Tenten holding a kunai in her right hand.

"Hyaa!!!" Ino charged.

Tenten cart wheeled backwards as she tried to avoid Ino's array of attacks.

Then, all of a sudden, Ino back flipped gracefully backwards and threw a handful of kunais and shurikens at Tenten.

Tenten pulled her scroll out and summoned a bunch of weapons to deflect Ino's attack. She also managed to launch an attack at Ino herself.

Ino pulled a kunai from her weapons holster and successfully blocked what was left of Tenten's weapons.

Ino landed on the floor slightly panting while Tenten stood a couple of feet away from her holding a half opened scroll.

"_What do I do if she decides to use that technique she used against Temari of the Sand?"_ Ino mentally panicked.

"_I don't have a fan like Temari to deflect all of those weapons! I'd be dead if that happens…" _Ino grasped her kunai tighter.

"_The only solution is close combat! I can't have her get far away from me! Or else, she's use that technique and I'd be done for!"_

Ino ran up towards Tenten once more with a couple of kunais in hand.

Tenten immediately rolled back her scroll and placed it behind her. She pulled out a bunch of kunais out of her weapons holster to match up against Ino's own kunais.

Neji watched the two kunoichis battle it out in disappointment.

"_She's holding back…"_ Neji thought as he looked at Tenten.

"_She placed her scroll back behind her. If she was serious about this match, she would have bombarded Ino with weapons the moment she opened her scroll."_

Tenten and Ino continued to battle it out using kunais, shurikens and taijutsu.

"_Not only that, she even holding back in her taijutsu. If she would just speed up just like when she was battling Kakashi, this match would be over. What the hell is she doing?"_ Neji narrowed his eyes at Tenten. This was the Jounin exams and Tenten was having mercy for her opponent? Even if she knew her enemy, she shouldn't hold back so much.

"_If she continues to fight like this, she will lose…"_ Neji thought as he folded his arms on his chest.

"_What do I do? How will I beat Ino without hurting her?!" _Tenten thought as she avoided Ino's attacks.

"_If I use my scroll, I could hit any of her vital organs! If I speed up and use taijutsu, this match would be over too soon and I could injure her pride as a kunoichi! Of course using ninjutsu is also out of the question! Damn it…"_ Tenten narrowed her eyes. This was definitely harder than she thought.

She cart wheeled a couple of times backward. When she stopped she saw Ino do her clan's hand sign. Her eyes widened a bit and she immediately cart wheeled to the right. When she saw that Ino was still doing the hand sign, Tenten continued to cart wheel all over the place to avoid Ino's technique.

"_Damn it! What the hell do I do?!"_ Tenten was getting frustrated. She was still cart wheeling like crazy all over the arena.

Neji continued to watch the match bored. This was definitely such a low level fight.

"_Tenten keeps on holding back but Ino is going all out. If she refuses to fight seriously, she'll lose for sure…"_

Tenten jumped into the air and pulled out her scroll.

"Shit!" Ino's eyes widened in surprise.

"_Will she?" _Neji thought.

Tenten summoned a total of 20 weapons. Ino immediately took out a kunai and cart wheeled away from her position. She used the kunai to deflect some of the weapons heading her way.

Tenten landed on the floor and placed her scroll behind her again.

"_I knew she wouldn't use that technique…"_ Neji rolled his eyes.

"_This isn't right. Why doesn't she use that technique she used against Temari of the sand against me? She'd definitely win with that…" _Ino looked at Tenten with a puzzled expression.

"You only brought out a few of your weapons. I know you can bring out hundreds or maybe even thousand of those!" Ino yelled at Tenten.

Tenten's eyes widened a bit.

"So why aren't you doing that?" Ino asked as she narrowed her eyes.

Tenten didn't know what to answer.

"Well?" Ino said as she stood up straight and brought down her hand with a kunai in it.

Tenten narrowed her eyes.

"This is a battle, there's no time for talking." Tenten said as she attacked Ino again with a kunai in each hand.

Ino grabbed another kunai in her weapons holster and deflected Tenten's attacks.

"You're supposed to be fast, aren't you?" Ino asked in between attacks.

Tenten's eyes were wide with surprise as she continued to block Ino's attacks and insert some of her own.

"_How the hell did she know that?"_

"Why are you holding back?!" Ino yelled angrily as she continued her assault.

Tenten chose not to answer not only because she didn't want to but also because she had no idea what to say.

Tenten and Ino's kunais met and they both jumped backwards due to the force of deflection.

"Why are you holding back?!" Ino asked again.

"I'm not!" Tenten yelled in reply.

"Then what the hell do you call what you're doing now!?" Ino yelled yet again.

Neji was a bit surprised at the blonde kunoichi. He had to admit, he didn't know she had it in her. He never expected the Yamanaka princess to actually confront Tenten of her slacking off in the match. That was definitely unexpected. This made Neji smirk a bit.

"_Now what are you going to do Tenten?"_

"I'm gonna tell you this once so listen well." Ino said as she stood up straight and pointed her kunai at Tenten.

Tenten just continued to look at Ino. Her eyebrows rose a bit in curiosity.

"I'm not going to hold back, you hear? So if you keep on holding back, it's your choice. I'll go all out from now on. So if you chose to stay that way, be my guest!" Ino said.

Tenten relaxed a bit and brought down her arms. She then bowed apologetically at Ino. Ino was taken aback by Tenten's actions.

When Tenten raised her head, she had a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry Ino. I'll do my best from now on then."

Ino nodded. She had a serious look on her face. She was happy that Tenten would finally fight seriously but she was a bit scared of what would happen next. But at least she did know one thing; she definitely couldn't lose no matter what!

**

* * *

**

BOOM!

A loud explosion erupted in the middle of group J's clearing. The proctors coughed and covered their faces with their arms as much as they could. The whole clearing was enveloped in dust and not a single thing could be seen.

Kakashi slowly brought down his perverted book when the surroundings seemed a little more stable.

"_Honestly, how am I supposed to enjoy reading with all this commotion?"_

Kakashi sighed as he pushed himself off the tree and slowly walked towards the middle of the clearing. He stopped when he saw a silhouette of a person standing in the middle holding a sword. The sound of faint electricity could be heard.

Kakashi smile a bit.

"_At least he wasn't joking about finishing this fight in three minutes at most…"_

Kakashi looked around to see if there were any casualties but there were none. All were simply lying unconscious on the ground.

"_He finished them in two minutes and seven seconds…"_

Kakashi sighed.

"_And most of the time was used up because he was too disgusted to even fight his opponents…"_

Kakashi watched as the silhouette sheathed his sword back.

"Well gentleman, we have a winner…"

The proctors slowly approached Kakashi as they tried their best to gain a clear image of who Kakashi was referring to but the smoke and dust were still too thick to get a clear view of the winner.

When the smoke finally cleared, there they saw an Uchiha Sasuke with an expressionless face walking towards them unharmed, acting as if nothing happened.

"Congratulations!" Kakashi said cheerfully when Sasuke was just a few feet away from him.

Sasuke simply grunted as he walked pass Kakashi.

The proctors of the group were in shock to see every single participant out cold on the ground. They approached the contestants to see if they were dead only to find out that they were just unconscious.

"T-That was… Amazing…" One of the proctors said as he looked at Sasuke's retreating back.

"He didn't kill any of them…" Another proctor added.

"I can't believe that guy…" Yet another proctor stated.

Kakashi turned around to look at Sasuke's retreating back.

"_Sasuke… I know you've gotten a whole lot stronger. In your state right now, you're even worthy to become the Hokage."_

Kakashi began to walk away as well.

"_I just hope you won't let it all get to your head."_

**

* * *

**

Ino charged at Tenten once more with a kunai in hand.

"Take this!"

Tenten jumped into the air and took out her scroll as she gracefully twisted and turned.

Ino stopped in her tracks. _"Here it comes!"_

Tenten opened her scroll and twisted in the air. The scroll followed Tenten's every move. Ino patiently waited for Tenten's bombard of weapons. The scroll was quite huge so it hid most of Tenten's body.

Ino blinked for a second. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Tenten was no longer in the air. All that was left was the gigantic scroll falling gracefully down from the air.

"_SHIT!" _Ino panicked. She suddenly felt something behind her. As she turned around, she was greeted by a bombard of weapons courtesy of Tenten. All Ino could do was close her eyes. The weapons were already too close to her body for her to even react.

Ino felt herself being thrown backwards on to a tree. She still had her eyes closed. She was waiting for the pain of her injuries to come but she felt nothing. She immediately opened her eyes to see that she was stuck to a tree. She looked to he left and right and saw a bunch of kunai and shuriken attached to her clothes.

"What the?!"

When Ino looked in front, she saw Tenten in front of her holding a kunai to her throat.

Ino's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't move at all. Even if she did manage to pull herself out of the kunais and shurikens, she'd be naked in front of everyone. The distances of the kunais and shurikens were only about three inches from each other. Her body was surrounded by at least twenty of those weapons. Pulling herself out of those many weapons would ruin her clothes thus rendering her nude.

Tenten glanced towards Neji awaiting his decision on the match.

Neji glanced from Tenten to Ino then to the match supervisor. The man gave Neji a questioning look. Neji then nodded.

"Winner of the match, Tenten…" The supervisor announced.

Tenten placed the kunai she was holding back to her pouch.

"Release…" Tenten softly said as she made a hand sign.

Before everyone knew it, the clearing was slightly filled with smoke.

When the smoke finally vanished, majority of the weapons have disappeared.

Ino was now fully standing in front of Tenten. All of the weapons were already gone.

Tenten looked at Ino and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for the match."

Tenten looked at Ino once more before she headed back to the waiting area.

Ino breathed heavily. She couldn't believe it.

"I-I… I… Lost…"

**

* * *

**

Sasuke arrived back to the arena. When the spectators caught sight of him, cheers, whispers and 'boos' were heard all over the arena. They obviously witness the whole match he had against all the participants in his group but he really didn't care about any of those. All he wanted to see were the names of those who qualified for the next round. Unfortunately, only his group had done the all out brawl. All of the other groups followed the rules. This was the main reason why he was against the all out brawl. It wasn't because he was scared. It was the long wait that irritated him the most.

He took a seat at the contestants waiting area. Needless to say, he was the only one there. As he looked at the screen, he caught sight of Tenten and Ino's battle. He saw Ino pinned to a tree while Tenten was holding a kunai at her neck.

"The outcome of that match was predictable from the start…" Sasuke told himself but he paused when he caught sight of something else. Sasuke raised his eyebrow when he saw how long the match had been going on.

A small timer was placed on the lower right side of each screen to show how long a match had been going on.

"Nine minutes and thirty-three seconds? What the hell took so long?" Sasuke said to himself as he narrowed his eyes.

"_Ino shouldn't have given Tenten a hard time at all…"_

Sasuke folded his arms on his chest. When the screen began to show the next match of Tenten's group, he shifted his attention to the other matches on the screen.

**

* * *

**

Well, that's chapter 26!

**Check out my other story: JUST FOR TONIGHT... It's a SasuTen**... Because, my SasuTen readers wanted me to make one and this story was nagging me so I wrote it. Please check it out and review and comment on it! Thanks!

Thanks for reading my story even though it took light years before I updated! I love you all!!! Oh and leave a review while you're at it!


	27. Chapter 27

Hello everyone! Happy New Year to all of you!

Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed this story! Thank you so much! I promise I will finish this story no matter how long it takes! I will do my best!

Here's chapter 27... Hope you guys like it!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 27: Break**

Loud cheers were heard all over Konoha.

The elimination round was over. A winner has been chosen under each specific group and the fun was just about to begin. The crowd was so ecstatic that the announcement of the names of the winners in each group could no longer be heard.

Tsunade massaged her temples in annoyance. The noise wasn't allowing her to talk at all. She was in the VIP section standing on a podium. She closed her eyes slowly trying her best to calm herself down. She decided to count to ten. If the noise still wouldn't stop. Somebody was gonna get hurt… Real bad…

Gaara glanced at the Hokage's annoyed form and realized that she was about to explode any minute. Not wanting any casualties to occur, Gaara immediately released his sand out of his gourd and made it swirl around the arena. A strong gust of wind blew as the sand continued to circle around the place making all the people quiet down in surprise.

Tsunade glanced at the Kazekage and nodded her thanks.

When the noise diminished, Gaara brought the sand back to his gourd as Tsunade coughed on the microphone.

"Now that you all have finally quieted down, allow me to formally announce the winners of each group."

Tsunade glanced at the waiting area for the fighters of the next round. There stood all the winners of round one, the elimination.

"When your name is called, please come down the arena for recognition." Tsunade paused.

"After the acknowledgement of winners, there will be a two-hour long break before the second round of the Jounin exam starts. Do whatever it is that you need to do for once the second round begins, there will be no more breaks." Tsunade continued.

Tsunade looked around the arena to emphasize her point.

"Now then, I will announce the winners of each group…"

Tsunade looked to her right and nodded at Shizune. Shizune immediately handed Tsunade a scroll with the results written on it and then the Hokage began to read the winners' names as the crowd continued to cheer.

After the Hokage's announcement, the wide screen flashed the names of the winners and who they would be fighting in the next round.

Gaara glanced at the winners standing tall and proud in a straight line below him. He was looking around for familiar faces. The first person he saw was none other than the Uchiha avenger himself. Gaara looked at Sasuke emotionlessly as he recalled the previous Chuunin exams he took. Sasuke had gotten a whole lot stronger since then and he couldn't wait to see what else the Uchiha was capable of.

Gaara's thoughts were interrupted when Tsunade came back to take a seat by his side.

"I appreciate the help." Tsunade said as drank her sake not looking at the Kazekage. Gaara simply nodded and did the same with his tea not glancing at the Hokage as well. He was far too engulfed with trying to search for familiar faces in the crowd.

**

* * *

**

All fighters who qualified for the next round of the Jounin exams slowly walked away from the arena to get as much rest as they could. Things were just about to get a lot harder and they needed to prepare themselves for any opponent they would be forced to face.

Tenten stiffly walked away from the arena. Ever since she got there, she's been getting weird looks from Lee and Sasuke. Lee was giving her meaningful glances simply because they would be fighting in the next round. But as for Sasuke, she had no idea. He was smirking to no end at her and it was irritating her like hell. She couldn't wait to shove a kunai up that idiot's ass then he'd see who'd have the last laugh.

Tenten sighed. It was getting pretty hard to ignore them both simply because they both reached her view at some point. Lee was standing to her right and Sasuke was standing to her left. No matter where she looked, she would see at least one of them at the corner of her eyes.

Tenten caught sight of the nearest exit of the arena. She thought for a while then shrugged her shoulders as she neared the exit of the arena. She needed peace and quiet. She needed to think. Maybe meditating outside would be the best thing for her right now.

She was relieved when Naruto and Sakura managed to distract Sasuke and Lee for her. She would have to remember to thank them later. Tenten smiled as she hurriedly tried her best to get as far away as possible. Naruto and Sakura managed to get themselves into the second round as well. They were both pretty injured but medic nins would surely come to their aid as soon as possible.

Tenten neared the exit when her way was suddenly blocked by a lazy looking genius.

Tenten's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Is there something you need?" Tenten asked curiously.

Shikamaru looked at Tenten from head to toe which made Tenten uneasy.

"W-What is it?"

Shikamaru brought his gaze back to Tenten's eyes still not saying anything. He was looking at her with his eyes a bit narrowed as if he was trying to decipher her or something.

Tenten's eyes narrowed in slight confusion.

"Well? Are you gonna say something or not? Because I kind of have something to do."

Shikamaru sighed as he closed his eyes and scratched his head.

"Forget it…"

Shikamaru looked at Tenten again.

"Congratulations."

Tenten raised one of her eyebrows in inquiry. She planned on asking what it really was that Shikamaru wanted to say but she decided against it when she realized that Lee had caught sight of her again.

"Likewise." Tenten replied as she hurriedly exited the arena.

Shikamaru looked at Tenten's retreating back. There was something about her that he didn't like at all. But what it was he really didn't know. He felt as if she was hiding something from everyone.

Shikamaru was cut off his thoughts when he felt a slight tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ino and Chouji. He was a bit taken aback by their melancholy expressions.

"_I guess they took that vow seriously…"_

Shikamaru sighed and muttered a 'troublesome' before he placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"It's alright guys…"

Ino and Chouji couldn't hold their tears anymore.

Ino cupped her face in her hands while Chouji wiped his eyes with the back of his right hand.

"We're sorry…" They both said in chorus.

Shikamaru sighed as he took his hands off their shoulders.

"Don't worry. I'll be with both of you shortly."

Ino raised her tear filled eyes.

"W-What do you mean?"

Shikamaru turned his head towards the screen that displayed the order of matches and the fighters who would be fighting.

"Take a look at who I'd be fighting."

Chouji and Ino wiped their tears completely and turned their heads towards the screen.

Ino gasped a bit in surprise while Chouji immediately looked at Shikamaru again with eyes a bit wide.

"N-Naruto-kun? You're fighting Naruto-kun?"

Shikamaru scratched his head and gave a slight smile.

"Yeah. So like I said, I'll be with you guys in a moment."

Ino pulled Shikamaru's hand.

"Stop that! There's no way Naruto would win against you!"

Shikamaru shrugged.

Chouji raised his balled fists into the air.

"Yeah! It could be anyone's match, Shikamaru! Don't give up."

Shikamaru sighed.

"That would be true. But Naruto's chakra reserves are massive and I'm all out from the previous rounds. I had to fight eight times and some of them were troublesome. So I guess beating Naruto in my current state is impossible. I've already thought of it and-"

"Shikamaru!" Ino and Chouji yelled in unison as they caught the falling Chuunin.

"Oi?! Shikamaru? Are you alright?" Ino asked in concern.

Shikamaru grunted in slight pain.

"Yeah… I'm fine. I'm just out of chakra. That's all."

Chouji looked at his best friend worriedly.

"Are you sure you're fine?"

Shikamaru nodded slightly.

"OI!!! Shikamaru!!! Are you alright?!"

Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji turned their heads towards the hyperactive blonde running towards them followed by a concerned Sakura and Lee.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Shikamaru-kun, are you alright?" Lee inquired as well.

Shikamaru rose t his feet slowly with Ino and Chouji's help.

"I'm fine… Troublesome…"

"Well, you should have yourself checked before-"

Ino wasn't able to finish her sentence because the Nara clan genius's eyes rolled back and then he fainted.

"SHIKAMARU!"

**

* * *

**

(Outside the arena)

Tenten walked slowly around the trees trying to find a nice spot to meditate or maybe rest for awhile.

Tenten immediately stopped on her tracks when she sensed familiar chakras nearing her.

"Hey you guys…"

Tenten turned around to face her four senseis.

"Congratulations!" Mifuyu said with a smile.

"You were great Tenten-sama! You managed to fight without using any elemental jutsu!" Griselda said as she raised a fist in the air.

"Were very proud Oujo-sama…" Yue added.

"Thank you…" Tenten said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"You should have your injuries check." Lucas stated.

"That's my cue!" Mifuyu said.

"I can do it myself." Tenten replied but Mifuyu insisted.

"We should head back. We shouldn't let people see us together." Lucas said as he turned around to leave.

"Right… We'll leave Tenten-sama to you, Mifuyu." Griselda said as she turned around and raised her right hand to wave goodbye.

"Good luck on your next match." Yue bowed and left.

Tenten smiled at their retreating backs. After she blinked, they were gone.

"Tenten-sama, let's see those injuries." Mifuyu said as she folded her sleeves and took out a water bottle.

Tenten nodded as she showed Mifuyu a few deep cuts, bruises and slashes.

"Well, at least none of them are serious." Mifuyu said as she smiled.

"We'll be done in a few minutes." Mifuyu assured.

**

* * *

**

"Is Shikamaru going to be alright?" Ino asked Sakura.

It's been a few minutes since Shikamaru was admitted into Konoha's General Hospital. Tsunade rushed to the scene the moment Sakura informed her that Shikamaru was taken there because of an unknown cause.

Sakura sighed as she glanced at the files she was holding.

"Well, according to the symptoms he's showing, it seems he's been poisoned."

"Poisoned?!" Chouji and Ino said in shock.

"Well, how is he now?1" Naruto panicked which earned him a punch in the gut from Sakura.

"Quiet Naruto! We're in the emergency section! Can't you read the sign that says "Silence Please"?" Sakura angrily whispered.

"Well, how is Shikamaru-kun doing?" Lee asked.

"He's stable for now. Tsunade-sama is removing the poison from his body. He should be fine after a few hours." Sakura ensured.

Ino and Chouji sighed in relief.

"Naruto, Lee, you guys should hurry back to the arena. The second round will begin in a few minutes." Sakura said.

"But what about Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"I believe he can't fight anymore Naruto. He should rest. We need to remove the poison out of his body and administer a cure for it before it spreads even further. If we can't get all of the poison out of his body now, he could die." Sakura explained.

Naruto looked down.

"I see…"

"Naruto-kun, Lee-kun…"

Naruto, Lee, Sakura, Ino and Chouji turned their attentions towards the voice.

"Sai?" Naruto stated in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

"Only ten minutes remain before the second round. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun asked me to look for both of you. They're already there." Sai replied.

"Oh… That's right. Kiba and Shino qualified as well." Chouji said.

"Ah, which reminds me, where is Shikamaru-kun? He qualified as well didn't he?" Sai asked.

"He's in the emergency room." Ino replied.

Sai's eyes widened with surprise. He was about to asked why but Lee cut him off.

"He was poisoned during the elimination rounds."

"Oh, I see…" Sai replied.

"You guys should hurry." Ino said as she looked at Naruto and Lee.

"Yeah, we'll take care of things here." Chouji added.

Naruto and Lee looked at Sakura as she nodded.

"We'll be off then." Lee said as he bowed.

Naruto looked at Ino and Chouji and then nodded.

Soon, Lee, Naruto and Sai were off to the arena.

**

* * *

**

"There, all done." Mifuyu pulled her sleeves back and placed her empty water bottle back to her pouch.

"Thank you." Tenten replied.

"You should head back now, Mifuyu. I'll be fine now."

Mifuyu nodded. She turned around to leave but she stopped herself. She turned to look at Tenten again.

"Tenten-sama, I just want to remind you what we talked about before."

"About what?" Tenten narrowed her eyebrows.

Mifuyu simply gave her a meaningful look.

Tenten's eyes slowly grew big in realization as she recalled the words her senseis told her.

"_When you are to face someone whom you think is a very big threat to you… We want you withdraw…"_

"_Both of your blood limits react to danger. Whenever your life is at risk, they activate almost immediately. Just imagine the catastrophic result if all those spectators where to see what you are really capable of."_

"_It's up to you whether you accept a fight or not. That's your choice. All we're saying is that we want you to know the possible consequences that could happen during the exams. If your blood limits show up in front of all those people, it is up to you to find out a way to fix it. You must face the consequences alone."_

Tenten sighed.

"Yeah… I know what you mean."

Mifuyu nodded and in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

Tenten turned around and jumped up to a tree. She continued to jump from one branch to another before she reached the top. She now had a bird's eye view of the whole arena. She slowly sat down comfortably.

"_I'll be fighting Lee in the next round…"_

Tenten sighed.

Now what was she going to do?

**

* * *

**

"Where the heck are they?!" Kiba said impatiently as he stood side by side with his teammate at the waiting area.

"We already told Sai to get them. They should be here shortly." Shino coolly replied.

"But what if he doesn't find them? Those idiots! They fight their asses off during the elimination rounds and then disappear during the preliminary rounds! What were they thinking?" Kiba said as he walked away from his calm teammate and slumped on a chair.

Shino fixed the glasses on his face.

"If they want to skip the preliminary rounds, then that is none of our business."

Kiba sighed out loud and glanced at Akamaru.

"I guess…"

He petted his beloved dog as he smiled. He checked his pet for injuries but found none. He smiled again. Hinata had done a good job healing Akamaru. His gaze then went to his arms. The cloth covering his right arm was torn and he had a huge gash on it just a while ago. Luckily, Hinata was there to fix it for him.

Kiba dug into his pockets then his jacket.

"Where did I put…"

Shino glanced at his teammate.

"Is something wrong?"

Kiba smiled triumphantly when he found the thing he was looking for.

"Nope! It's nothing…"

Shino glanced at Kiba one more time before he directed his attention back to the timer below the screen.

"_Eight minutes left…"_

Kiba smiled slightly as he held a small round case in his hands.

**

* * *

**

_(Flashback)_

"Well, thanks for the fix up Hinata."

Kiba stood up and inspected the spot that once had the injury he earned during the elimination rounds.

"You did a really good job."

Hinata stood up from her sitting position to look at her teammate.

"T-Thank you, Kiba-kun…"

Kiba bent down to inspect Akamaru. He petted the dog who barked happily.

"You fixed Akamaru pretty good as well."

Kiba smiled at Hinata. "Thanks a lot."

"O-Oh… T-that was nothing…" Hinata modestly replied.

Kiba turned his gaze back to Akamaru and petted the dog one last time as he smiled. He slowly stood up to look at the Hyuga heiress once more.

"Thanks again Hinata." Kiba smiled.

Hinata's cheeks turned from pale to light pink.

"Oh… I-It's really nothing… K-Kiba-kun…"

Kiba nodded.

"Be seeing you then…" Kiba smiled again before he turned to leave followed by a newly energized Akamaru.

Hinata simply watched the Inuzuka prodigy before she snapped out of her trance.

"O-Oh! I almost forgot…"

Kiba continued to walk back to the arena but he immediately stopped when he heard his name being called. He turned around to see Hinata running up to him. He walked towards her.

"What is it Hinata?"

Unfortunately, Hinata was looking down the whole time so she didn't realize that Kiba had walked towards her. She only realized that he was near her when she saw his sandals just a few inches away from her own.

Hinata slowly raised her head and was surprised to see Kiba looking down at her with his eyebrows raised up in inquiry. Their faces were just a few inches apart.

Kiba himself was also caught of guard.

Both of them stood there not being able to say a thing.

Hinata open and closed her mouth trying to speak while Kiba simply stood there looking at her.

Thankfully, Kiba was brought out of his trance thanks to Akamaru's bark.

Kiba took a huge step back and coughed as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand. He was looking down the ground trying his best to hide his slightly pink cheeks from the Hyuga heiress.

"U-Um… So… Hinata…"

Kiba raised his head once more to look at Hinata when he was sure that the pink color of his cheeks has already subsided.

"W-What was it that you wanted?"

Kiba mentally slapped himself.

"_Why the hell am I stuttering?!"_

Hinata fidgeted a little.

"Um… Well…"

Hinata placed her hand in her jacket and took a small round case.

Kiba's eyebrows rose in inquiry.

"What's that?"

"For you…" Hinata handed the case to Kiba.

"F-For me? Um… I mean, what is it for?" Kiba stuttered a bit as he tried his best to suppress a blush.

"They're… Soldier pills…" Hinata replied as she played with her fingers.

Kiba opened the case and glanced at the small round pills. His eyes softened slightly.

"Thanks a lot Hinata… I needed this." Kiba replied as he smiled at her once more.

Hinata blushed a bit and nodded slightly.

"Well, I'll be off then." Kiba said as he turned to leave.

Hinata watched the Inuzuka prodigy walk away. Her eyes widened a little when she saw Kiba turn around to look at her once more while he was walking away. He raised his hand to wave at her.

Hinata blushed slightly and then did the same.

"Good luck… Kiba-kun…"

(End of Flashback)

**

* * *

**

Kiba opened the small round case and glanced at the small pills kept in it once more. He really couldn't help but smile.

Shino glanced at his teammate once again to his surprise.

Kiba was smiling to himself as he looked at a small round case in his hands. Shino narrowed his eyes a bit to get a clear view of what was inside the round case.

"_Soldier Pills?"_

Shino's eyes narrowed in confusion. What the hell was so good about Soldier pills?

"I had no idea that looking at Soldier pills was so enjoying." Shino stated as he fixed his glasses. He was looking at the timer on the screen again.

"_Six minutes left…"_

Kiba snapped his head upwards to look at his weird teammate and blushed ever so slightly.

"I was just…" Kiba tried to find a good excuse.

Shino turned around to look at his teammate. He folded his arms on his chest.

"You were just?"

Kiba looked away, pouted slightly and folded his arms as well.

"N-Nothing…"

Shino raised an eyebrow in confusion. Kiba must have hit his head pretty hard during the elimination rounds because he was acting weirder than usual.

"Is there something bothering y-?"

"Oi!!!"

Shino and Kiba turned their heads towards the voice.

It was Naruto. He was running towards them with Lee. Sai had gone back to the spectators' seats.

"So you guys are finally here!" Kiba said as he closed the case of his precious Soldier pills from Hinata and placed it back in his jacket.

"Sorry we're a bit late. We took Shikamaru to the hospital." Lee explained.

"What? Shikamaru? What happened?" Kiba asked as he stood up.

"He was poisoned during one of his matches. Tsunade-no-baa-chan is with him." Naruto replied.

"Since the Hokage is tending to him, I guess we have nothing to worry about." Shino said as he placed his hands in his pocket to glance at the timer yet again.

"_Five minutes…"_

Lee was glancing around the waiting area in search for someone.

"What is it Lee?" Naruto asked.

Kiba and Shino glanced at Lee's anxious form.

"Tenten-san's not here yet!" Lee exclaimed slightly in panic.

Kiba, Shino and Naruto helped Lee looked around the waiting area but they stopped when they heard Naruto yell.

"What is it?" Shino asked.

"I can't find Sasuke either!"

**

* * *

**

Tenten jumped down the tree and did a few twirls and tumbles before she landed gracefully on her feet.

She stood up straight still debating. Will she fight Lee or not?

She's been at it for quite sometime now but she still didn't have a clear answer.

Tenten massaged her temples. She was sure she had only less than five minutes before the second round begins. But then again, her match wasn't the first in line so it was okay to be late.

Tenten punched the tree she jumped off of in frustration but careful not to knock it off from the ground.

"This is infuriating…"

She balled her hands into fists. If she fought Lee, there was a huge chance that her blood limits would appear. She wouldn't even want to think of the consequences if that happened. But if she didn't, she'd end up looking like a damn coward in front of the whole of Konoha and other participating villages. Not only that, how could she possibly face Lee if she forfeited their match?

Tenten allowed herself to fall backwards on the grass. She was out of ideas. Both options had such big disadvantages.

She lay down the soft, cool grass with her eyes closed. She wasn't moving at all. She really needed to think but if she did, she would only end up even more confused.

The tranquility of the forest was relaxing for Tenten but it didn't last long.

Tenten's eyes snapped open. She raised her feet up and used her hands to push herself off the grass. She immediately grabbed a kunai in her holster. She jumped forward and rolled on the floor. She turned around swiftly to face the person she had detected. She bent down slightly and raised the kunai up to chest level as she narrowed her eyes.

"Who's ther-?"

Tenten paused as her narrowed eyes slowly grew big. She immediately froze when she realized who the person was.

"You again?!"

**

* * *

**

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Kiba said in slight irritation.

"We just saw him here awhile ago! Right, Shino?"

Shino nodded in approval.

"He was here before us."

"Then where the hell is he?!" Naruto argued.

"How the heck are we supposed to know?!" Kiba answered annoyingly.

Kiba, Shino, Lee and Naruto continued to look around to no avail.

"What the hell are those two doing?" Kiba said as he paused to ruffle his hair.

"The second round is starting in less than five minutes but they're not here yet!" He added.

"To be precise, three minutes and seventeen seconds… Counting…" Shino corrected as he glanced at the timer on the screen.

"They're lucky they're not fighting the first match." Kiba stated.

"Where could Tenten be?" Lee said exasperatedly.

"Sasuke-teme! I can't believe he's not here yet!" Naruto yelled in frustration.

"You're too loud Naruto!" Kiba replied.

"Whatever!" Naruto pouted as he continued his search for the two missing people.

Lee narrowed his eyes in confusion and slight annoyance.

"It's not like Tenten to be late. She's never late!"

"Kiba… Can you smell either of them?" Shino asked.

Kiba sniffed around.

"It's pretty hard to get their scent with all these people here. I've been trying to pick up either of their scents the moment Naruto and Lee said that they were missing. But I don't smell either of them near here." Kiba said after sniffing a few more times.

"How about you Akamaru?" Kiba asked his pet dog.

Akamaru simply shook his head.

"There are too many people. And since Akamaru can't smell them either…" Kiba paused to try and sniff the missing ninjas once more. "They must also be pretty far."

"Where the hell are they?!" Naruto yelled yet again.

**

* * *

**

"You again?!"

Tenten narrowed her eyes at the person standing in front of her.

"Is this a habit of yours? Pissing people off? Because if it is, then you must be happy to know that it's working…" Tenten added with slight irritation.

Tenten got even more pissed when the person chuckled.

"I don't believe I said anything funny." Tenten stated as she stood up straight. She brought her hands back down to her sides and twirled the kunai in her hand.

The person stopped chuckling but he still had that smug look on his face.

"What the hell do you want this time, Uchiha?" Tenten said as she narrowed her eyes.

Sasuke looked at her with slight amusement in his eyes.

"Well?" Tenten raised her voice.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her.

"The answer is simple."

Tenten still had her eyebrows narrowed while she waited for the Uchiha prodigy to continue.

"I'm here to make sure you won't back out of this."

Tenten's eyes grew a bit as her mouth fell slightly. She immediately recovered from her shock to narrow her eyes at the Uchiha avenger.

They both just stood there having a stare down. Tenten had no idea what to reply to what Sasuke told her while Sasuke was just waiting to see what Tenten would say to him.

Tenten closed her eyes and sighed to calm herself down. When she opened her eyes, Sasuke was no longer there. Tenten narrowed her eyes and tilted here head slightly to the right to see him behind her back.

Tenten stiffened slightly when she felt Sasuke's arm encircle her shoulder. His left hand was dangling off her left shoulder as he brought his face down near her right shoulder.

Tenten was careful not to look too much to her right. Sasuke was a little too close that if she did, something unwanted might happen.

"You have three seconds to let go." Tenten threatened.

Sasuke chuckled slightly which irked Tenten even more.

"One…" Tenten began to count.

Sasuke raised one of his eyebrows in slight amusement.

"Win your fight against Lee." Sasuke stated.

Tenten's eyes narrowed in confusion and irritation. Who was he to command her to win?

"Two…" Tenten continued.

Sasuke grunted.

Tenten gripped the kunai she was swirling in her right hand.

"I look forward to fighting you. Ten…Ten…" Sasuke whispered in her ear.

"Three…"

Tenten suddenly twirled around with amazing speed and stuck a kunai on Sasuke's heart.

POOF!

When the smoke cleared, Tenten looked up in front of her to see Sasuke standing on a branch.

"You better not bail on this. Because if you do, I'll challenge you right after the exams myself." Sasuke warned.

Tenten narrowed her eyes at Sasuke.

"_Asshole…"_

Tenten blinked and Sasuke was gone.

Tenten brought her hands back down to her sides and stared at the log in front of her.

"Tch… Replacement technique…"

She bent down slowly to retrieve her kunai.

"_It looks like I don't a have a choice."_

She stood up and placed the kunai back in her pouch.

"_I have to fight Lee."_

Tenten sighed as she jumped up a tree and made her way back to the arena.

As soon as she left, a figure stepped out from behind a tree. Veins were popping out of his eyes as he glanced at the retreating back of the weapon's mistress.

The man narrowed his pearly white eyes filled with confusion and irritation.

After a few seconds, his eyes relaxed and the veins slowly vanished from the side his eyes and his temples.

"_What do we have here?"_

Suddenly, his thoughts were cut short when he heard a voice coming form his radio.

"Neji-san, the exams will begin in a few minutes. You're presence is needed."

Neji closed his eyes.

"Roger that."

**

* * *

**

Kiba, Shino and Lee were frantically looking around when they heard Naruto yell yet again.

"There you are! Sasuke-teme!"

The three ran to where Naruto's voice came from.

"Here's one of them." Kiba said as he sighed.

"Sasuke-kun, have you seen Tenten-san?" Lee asked anxiously.

Sasuke nodded in reply.

"She'll be here shortly."

"Oh! That's good to hear!" Lee replied a bit relieved.

Kiba and Shino, however, were a bit surprised.

"Since when did you associate with Tenten?" Kiba questioned curiously.

Sasuke simply ignored him and took a seat in the waiting area.

Naruto simply went with Sasuke to where he was headed talking nonstop about his matches in the elimination rounds hoping to make the Uchiha prodigy jealous of him or maybe compliment him even a bit to no avail.

Kiba gave Shino an inquiring look.

Shino simply shook his head as if saying 'I don't know but let's just leave it at that.'

Kiba simply shrugged his shoulders and sighed yet again as he and Akamaru looked for a place in the waiting area as well.

"Tenten-san! Where are you?!" Lee anxiously looked around for a girl in two buns when he heard an announcement from the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the two-hour long break is now over. We will now begin with the second round of the Jounin exams."

Cheers drowned Lee's voice as he screamed Tenten's name.

**

* * *

**

Tenten stood still.

She was just outside the arena's gate still debating whether she would go through this whole ordeal or not - whether she would fight or surrender.

She made a clicking sound with her tongue in annoyance as she balled her hands into fists.

_"What should I do?"_

She was about to ponder more about what she should do in her current situation but then a voice she knew all too well interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Planning on giving up?"

Tenten stiffened. She didn't need to turn around to figure out who that person was. She knew all too well.

Tenten bowed her head and tilted it to her right slightly, just enough to see the person from the corner of her eye. She didn't know what to answer. Heck she didn't even know what to say to this person.

Tenten sighed and closed her eyes. She turned her head to look at the arena yet again.

"What makes you think that?"

The man simply grunted in reply.

"I wouldn't blame you. You probably wouldn't last long enough anyway."

Tenten opened her eyes in anger. _"What the hell did he just-?!"_

Tenten tilted her head to the side to glare at the man behind her using the corner of her eyes. _"Oh no he didn't!"_

Tenten breathed in and out slowly to calm herself down before smirking. She knew better. Soon, her eyes once filled with anger showed amusement. She turned her head to look at the arena yet again. She wasn't stupid enough to fall for his useless provocations. She wasn't the weak, irrational and useless Tenten anymore.

Tenten ignored the man's comment and just chose to give him an answer he knows all too well - a monosyllabic reply.

"Hn..."

Tenten couldn't see the man's face but she was sure he was getting pissed at her brushing him off like that for she could feel his anger radiating from behind her.

"It's doesn't matter to me what the hell you do." The man replied.

Now it was Tenten's turn to grunt.

"Then why the hell are you asking me questions?"

Tenten turned around to see the man standing just a few feet away from her. He was giving her the infamous Hyuga glare and he had his arms folded snugly on his chest.

"Hm... Neji?"

Neji simply stared at her not affected by her statement.

Tenten sighed as she turned away from the Hyuga prodigy to look back at the arena. She wasn't prepared for a confrontation with Neji at all and looking into his eyes like that after so many years took her by surprise. Tenten cleared her throat as she glanced at the arena.

Then she finally decided.

"I'm not giving up."

She turned around to look at him again.

"I'm fighting. I'll continue to fight." Tenten replied as she looked at Neji with determination.

Neji simply raised an eyebrow at her.

"How pathetic..."

Tenten narrowed her eyes at his reply.

"I beg your pardon?"

Neji simply smirked.

"No matter what you do, you'll lose anyway." He paused as he looked at her from head to toe and back. "In that state of yours? I'm not surprised."

Tenten was fuming right now. If she could use even just a teensy bit of her blood limit to burn this ice cold bastard all the way to hell, she would. Who knows? Maybe that would do him some good.

Tenten breathed in and out.

_"He's trying to provoke you. Calm down."_

Neji was a little surprised when he watched Tenten's enraged look calm down slowly.

Tenten turned around so her back faced the Hyuga genius.

"I don't give a damn what you think Neji."

Tenten tilted her head to her right to glare at the Hyuga prodigy one last time.

"I don't have to prove myself worthy of your praise."

And with that, Tenten walked to the arena with only one thought in mind, _"What the hell did I get myself into?"_

Neji simply stared at Tenten's retreating back and smirked. Sure his plan didn't work out the way he wanted too but at least Tenten was going to fight. Even though he failed to provoke her into fighting him, at least he would see just how much she has improved now.

Neji went back to the arena and was heading for the head proctors' waiting area when he caught sight of a certain somebody. His eyes narrowed as veins popped from his temples.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Neji immediately remember the conversation he overheard between Tenten and him.

"_He wants to challenge Tenten... But why?"_

Neji's thoughts were cut off yet again when he heard an announcement blasting out of the speakers.

"Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen, the second round of the Jounin exams will now commence."

Cheers filled the arena yet again. The real fun was about to begin.

**

* * *

**

So there's chapter 27...

Thanks for reading **DRAGON SEAL** people... I hope you leave a review while you're at it.

**Oh, read my new one-shot story entitled: JUST FOR TONIGHT... **It's a SasuTenJi again but it's more of a SasuTen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR again!

Leave a **REVIEW**!

Till next time!!!


	28. Chapter 28

I AM BACK!!! Argh.. I am so happy to be back! My mail has been bombarded by messages from my readers, some are nice and well still calm while some are..ahem..I dare not say!hahaha..anyway, I am so sorry for not updating for so long! But this time, I'll really try my best to update faster. I've got summer classes though. And they're at 7:30 am! I like have to leave the house at about 6 am to not be late. Troublesome.

Anyway, sorry again. I don't want to keep you guys waiting...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 28: Tenten vs. Lee**

Tenten slowly climbed up the stairs that headed to the waiting area.

"_I guess there's no turning back now. I have to keep fighting."_

Tenten balled her hands into fists allowing her nails to dig into the skin of her palms mercilessly.

"_But I know I can't… If I keep going, I don't know what might happen."_

Tenten stopped for a while. She stood firmly on the staircase as she unclenched her fists. She raised the palms of her hands up to her face. She glanced indifferently at the marks etched by her fingernails. She clenched her hands once more and dropped them to her sides.

"_Let's say I do win my match against Lee, I'd…"_

Tenten froze. She bowed her head down and closed her eyes forcefully. Her eyebrows formed an anxious crease as her eyelids shook and her lips formed an angry scowl. From another person's view, she looked as if she was excruciatingly enduring some sort of injury.

"_I'd, more or less, end up fighting that bastard, Uchiha…"_

She made a clicking sound with her tongue as she snapped her head sideward. She opened her eyes, clenched her hands firmly and gritted her teeth.

"_I only have one option left."_

Tenten regained her calm demeanor as she raised her head. She glanced at the remaining number of steps she needed to climb to finally reach the waiting area as she smirked.

She slowly climbed up the stairs; her eyes filled with determination.

"_Then I'll do just that."_

**

* * *

**

"She still isn't here yet!" Lee exclaimed; his eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Who's not here yet?"

Lee, Naruto, Kiba and Shino glanced at the newest addition to the group.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted energetically as he waved at her.

"Tenten! Tenten's not here yet!" Lee stated as his eyes watered in tears.

"Tenten?" Sakura narrowed her eyes as she glanced around the waiting area. "I don't see her anywhere."

Kiba and Naruto desperately looked around while Shino and Sasuke simply remained comfortable in their seats.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! Why are you just sitting there? Help us look!" Naruto yelled as he pointed a suspecting finger at Sasuke.

"Naruto!" Sakura gave Naruto a warning look that said 'try anything with Sasuke and you're dead'.

Naruto quivered with fright.

Sasuke simply closed his eyes coolly and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I told you, didn't I? She's coming."

Sakura's eyes widened as she turned to look at Sasuke.

"U-Uhm… Y-You sound pretty sure, Sasuke-kun. Do you know her?"

Sasuke simply replied with a 'hn'.

"I-I see…" Sakura softly said as she forced herself to smile while her inner self exploded in anger.

"_What the hell!? Since when did she get close to Sasuke-kun?! Shanaro!"_

Naruto scowled at Sasuke's reply.

"How can you be so sure that she's really gonna come?"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side to glare at Naruto.

"She's definitely coming."

Sakura's eyes widened yet again. "Sa…Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto froze a bit at the cold attitude of Sasuke towards him but he chose to ignore it. Being around the resident ice cube for a few years has somewhat made him 'immune' to his cold demeanor.

"Whatever!" Naruto replied as he folded his hands in front of his chest and snapped his head away from Sasuke in a childlike manner.

Kiba glanced at Shino and Shino did the same. They exchanged meaningful glances before Shino tore his gaze away from Kiba.

"_I need not concern myself with other people's businesses…"_ Shino thought as he closed his eyes. He opened them again to glance at the timer.

"_58 seconds left…"_

Kiba shifted his gaze from Shino to Sasuke who had his back to Inuzuka prodigy. Kiba narrowed his eyes as he inspected the Uchiha avenger.

Sasuke had his eyes closed as his head was slightly bowed down. He had his hands folded in front of his chest and he was leaning casually on the chair he was sitting on. He gave others the impression that he was asleep.

"_What's up with him and the girl from Neji's team?"_

Kiba's thoughts were cut short when he heard Naruto brag about his oh-so cleaver plan on how to find Tenten.

"Don't worry, I'll find her for you!" Naruto heroically stated as he gave Lee the 'good guy' pose.

"Naruto, whatever you're planning-" Sakura was about to warn Naruto not to try any of his stupid plans when Lee cut her off.

"Arigatou! Naruto-kun!" Lee's tears flowed from his eyes like a river.

Sakura exhaled as she closed her eyes. _"I give up!"_

"There's no point in lecturing an idiot, right Akamaru?" Kiba said as he chuckled. Luckily, Naruto didn't hear it.

Shino simply nodded in agreement.

Naruto grinned as he snickered a bit. He immediately formed the hand seal needed to perform his favorite technique.

"Tajuu Kagebun-"

A hand immediately landed on both of Naruto's shoulders.

"Huh?"

Naruto glanced behind only to see Tenten smiling at him.

"There's no need, Naruto. You don't need to waste your chakra." Tenten said as she continued to smile at him reassuringly.

Sakura, Kiba, Shino and Sasuke all glanced to where Tenten appeared.

"_What the-?!" _Kiba thought as his eyes grew a bit.

"_When did she?"_ Sakura tried her best to hide her surprise.

"_I didn't even sense her…" _Shino thought as his eyes narrowed.

"About time…" Sasuke whispered to himself.

"Ah! You're here!" Naruto screamed.

"Tenten-san!" Lee said in relief.

Lee and Naruto were to busy with their own matters that they ignored the fact that they didn't sense her arrival. They were both just happy that Tenten finally arrived.

"Hey!" Tenten said as she waved at them.

"Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" Lee scolded.

"S-Sorry Lee! I guess I lost tract of time!" Tenten replied as she raised her hands in defeat.

"You should be more careful!" Lee insisted.

"Oh come on Lee! Our match isn't the first one anyway so it's ok to be a little late…" Tenten reasoned as her shoulders dropped.

"But still!" Lee firmly stated.

Sakura, Naruto, Kiba and Shino glanced at the pair.

"Y-You're…" Kiba began as he pointed at Tenten and Lee.

"Huh?" Tenten and Lee both exclaimed as they looked at the surprised faces of the four.

"You're fighting against each other!?" Naruto added as he pointed at Tenten and then Lee then back to Tenten.

"Uh… Yeah…" Tenten casually stated.

"Yes!!!" Lee replied as his eyes burned.

"Really?!" Naruto still couldn't believe it.

"When's your match?" Sakura asked.

"Hm… Don't know yet…" Tenten replied as she thought for a while.

"How unlucky for the two of you… Going against each other this early on… It's a pity." Kiba smugly stated as he smirked.

"Huh?" Naruto scratched his head. "What's a pity about that?"

"Naruto…" Sakura stated tiredly.

"Argh! Naruto! Why are you such an idiot?!" Kiba yelled in frustration.

"Who're you calling an idiot? Idiot!" Naruto screamed in reply as he raised his fist at Kiba.

Sakura, Tenten and Lee sweat dropped while Shino simply stared at the two.

Tenten froze a bit when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She didn't need to see who owned them. She knew all too well who those eyes belonged to. But she wasn't intimidated anymore.

She adjusted her gaze from the hyperactive ninja to the arrogant asshole of the Uchiha clan.

Tenten narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha prodigy. Sasuke was smirking at her and his eyes were teasing her.

"_That idiot…"_ Tenten thought as she tore her gaze away from him.

"_Hmp, if he thinks everything is going according to his plan, he should think again." _Tenten smiled ever so slightly.

Sakura witness the exchange between the two and was beginning to get a little suspicious.

"_Since when did they know each other?"_

Sakura glanced at Tenten slightly glaring at her.

"_What does she want with Sasuke-kun?"_

"Don't tell me you forgot that they're teammates!" Kiba said as he scratched his head.

"So what's wrong if they're teammates?! It's a good way to test each other's strengths! Idiot!" Naruto replied.

"I dare you to say that again!" Kiba warned as he raised a fist at Naruto.

Tenten smiled at the two fighting ninjas amusingly when she sensed yet another heavy pair of eyes on her. She turned her head only to see Sakura glaring at her. Tenten glanced behind her to see no one. She immediately gave Sakura an inquiring look. _"Did I do something?"_

Sakura was a little bit taken aback. She was too engrossed with her thoughts that she didn't notice that she was glaring at Tenten so bluntly.

"Ah! It's nothing! Nothing at all! I just remembered something! Nothing to worry about…" Sakura explained as she looked away.

Tenten simply tilted her head and nodded.

"Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot!!!" Naruto repeatedly teased.

Kiba's face turned red with anger.

"You're the idiot! Of course when they're going to fight each other one of them will get eliminated! Honestly, if you were matched against, say, Sakura, would you like to eliminate your own teammate?! Huh, idiot?!"

Naruto paused due to the realization. He forgot about Sakura for a second there. All he thought about fighting was Sasuke.

Kiba was right. If he were put up against her, he wouldn't know what to do. He glanced at Sakura only to find that she was staring at Sasuke.

Naruto's blood boiled with anger and jealousy.

"_She's staring at that bastard again!"_

Naruto glanced angrily at Sasuke who simply ignored his murderous killing intent.

"_Ha! If I were put up against Sasuke that would be a whole new different story! I wouldn't mind eliminating his ass out of the exam for good!"_

Naruto then began daydreaming about how he was going to defeat his rival as he laughed evilly to himself.

Kiba simply looked at Naruto incredulously.

"That's enough you two. The matches are about to start." Shino commanded.

Naruto and Kiba glanced at Shino. They then directed they're attention towards the large electronic board that showed the timer.

"Ten seconds!" Naruto jumped up and down with excitement.

"Yosh!" Lee clenched his fists and threw them in the air.

"Ha! About time! I was starting to get bored!" Kiba said as he did a few stretches.

Shino said nothing. He simply silently awaited the remaining five seconds to end.

Sasuke opened his eyes and glanced at the timer as he smirked a bit. _"The fun begins…"_

Tenten sighed at the enthusiasm Naruto, Lee and Kiba. _"Well, at least they're enjoying this."_

"Five!" Naruto counted down loudly.

"Four!" Lee joined in.

"Three." Kiba added.

"Two…" Shino whispered.

Tenten glanced at the timer and narrowed her eyes. She was starting to feel the pressure of the situation she was in.

"One…"

BUZZ!

A loud buzzer was heard throughout the stadium followed by an announcement.

"The second round of the Jounin exams will now begin!"

The crowd erupted with cheers and the arena was sound engulfed by noise.

"Wow, even the spectators are so enthusiastic." Tenten sweat dropped.

"Of course they are, Tenten-san! They are burning they're youth!" Lee replied as fire burned in his eyes.

Tenten sweat dropped even more.

Lee suddenly walked up towards the edge of the waiting area. He seemed to be looking for someone.

"Lee?" Tenten followed him to where he stood.

"Who're you looking for?"

Tenten looked around the arena in search for something that could possibly be what Lee was looking for.

Then, all of a sudden, Lee's tears were flowing like a river.

Tenten glanced to where Lee was looking only to find Gai-sensei giving both of them 'good guy' poses.

Tenten smiled and gave Gai-sensei a nod as acknowledgement.

"Gai-sensei! I will make you proud! I promise!" Lee's eyes burned with determination and enthusiasm.

Tenten smiled.

"You're attention please…"

The stadium quieted down as they awaited further announcements from the speakers.

"The matches will proceed after a few reminders…"

Groans and complains were heard from the crowd but were ignored.

"First, the schedule of the matches will be shown in the giant electronic screen found in the arena."

Everyone glanced at the large electronic board as the matches for the second round of the Jounin exams were shown.

1. Uzumaki Naruto (A) vs. Nara Shikamaru (B)

2. Chuichirou Nogi (C) vs. Natsume Hajime (D)

3. Shinomori Saito (E) vs. Haruno Sakura (F)

4. Tenten (G) vs. Rock Lee (H)

5. Seijirou Yamamoto vs. Uchiha Sasuke (J)

6. Todou Aoi (K) vs. Narumi Tsukino (L)

7. Inuzuka Kiba (M) vs. Minamito Sano (N)

8. Aburame Shino (O) vs. Sumire Tobita (P)

(AN: You guys don't need to pay that much attention to the characters I made up because I won't be giving a detailed fight among them and Masashi Kishimoto's characters.)

"Oh! Shikamaru passed as well!" Tenten exclaimed. She looked around for the lazy genius to no avail.

"Hey, guys, Shikamaru's not here yet."

Tenten glanced at her companions' melancholy faces.

"He got poisoned during the prelims." Kiba answered.

Tenten's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Tsunade-sama is tending to him though." Sakura explained further.

Tenten's eyes softened slowly as she sadly looked down the floor. "Oh… I see…"

"He'll be fine! Tsunade's with him after all." Naruto stated as he tried to ease the mood.

"Heh! You're just happy that you get through your first fight without even breaking a sweat!" Kiba teased.

"What was that!?" Naruto warned as he raised his fist at Kiba.

Naruto and Kiba glared at each other as lightning from their eyes collided.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Sakura scolded.

"Hmp!" Both said in unison as they looked away.

Another announcement was heard from the speakers.

"Now for the rules of the match, there are no rules. The match ends when one of the following occurs: either one of the two fighters die, one of the two fighters gives up, or when the match proctor feels that there is already an obvious result to the match."

"Isn't that always what they say when rules are asked?" Tenten stated in amusement.

Sasuke grunted with an equal amount of amusement in his tone.

Tenten glanced at the Uchiha from the corner of her eyes to see that he was glancing at her as well in the same way.

Tenten looked away. _"What the hell…"_

The announcer spoke once more.

"Without further ado, the second round of the Jounin exams now begins."

Cheers erupted yet again.

"And now, please welcome this exam's match proctor." The announcer finished.

The match proctor stepped out and walked towards the middle of the arena.

"AH!!!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the figure of a man with pointed silver hair. He was walking without a care in the world towards the middle of the arena while reading a green colored book.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura said incredulously as she pointed towards Kakashi as well.

"So it is…" Shino guaranteed.

"What's he doing down there?" Kiba asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's the match proctor…" Tenten answered.

"No way!!!" Naruto yelled.

"He didn't tell us anything at all!" Sakura added.

"Well, he must have had a reason. Maybe the proctors of the exams were ordered not to tell anyone. After all, if they are the proctors, they could have been given some sort of insight on how the exams are going to be done. And if we knew they were included as match proctors, we'd probably pester them to give us some tips on the exam. I know I would have done that if I knew Kurenai-sensei were a proctor." Kiba stated as he scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, Inuzuka-san has a point…" Lee agreed.

"Ahem…"

Everyone directed their attention to the masked man standing in the middle of the arena.

"Now that I have you're attention, let's begin with the first match. Uzumaki Naruto and-"

A fellow proctor suddenly appeared beside Kakashi.

"What is it Kotetsu-san?" Kakashi inquired.

The spectators began to whisper to each other.

Naruto and the others looked on as Kotetsu and Kakashi conversed.

"He's probably informing Kakashi-sensei about Shikamaru." Tenten said.

They watched as Kakashi nodded. Kotetsu then bowed in front of the Copy Ninja and disappeared into a poof of smoke.

"Ahem… I was just informed that Shikamaru Nara has been seriously wounded and will no longer be able to fight."

The noise from the crowd grew but Kakashi ignored it.

"Now, shall we proceed to the next match?" Kakashi paused as he glanced at the board.

"Will the fighters-"

Another proctor appeared beside Kakashi.

"What's the matter, Genma-san?"

Tenten scrunched her eyebrows. "What's wrong this time?"

"I have no idea…" Kiba replied with irritation.

The group watched as Kakashi and Genma discussed among themselves. Their curiosity grew as they watched Kakashi sigh tiredly.

"I understand…" Kakashi unenthusiastically replied.

Genma then disappeared in a poof of smoke as well.

"Ahem… Ahem…" Kakashi began yet again.

"I have just been informed that the two fighters of the second match are no longer eligible to fight as well."

The crowd went wild as they groaned and booed. They even went as far as throwing a few trashes towards the arena.

"_WHAT?!" _Tenten's inner self panicked but her outer form remained calm and composed.

"_Why the hell are they ineligible to fight?! Those good for nothing idiots!"_

"Damn!" Kiba cursed as he glared at Naruto. "You win two straight rounds without a fight!"

"An extremely lucky man…" Shino added as he tried his best to mask his irritation.

"Ha! They must have been scared to face me, the genius ninja who will be crowned as the Sixth Hokage!" Naruto bragged as he laughed wholeheartedly but stopped when he realized the looks people were giving him.

"_Always bragging about being the Hokage…"_ Sakura thought as she looked at Naruto tiredly.

"_I am extremely envious of Naruto right now…" _Tenten thought as she glanced at Lee.

"_Now my fight with Lee is right after the next one!"_

Lee simply praised Naruto for his good luck.

"I can't believe this." Kiba incredulously stated as he slumped on his chair.

"He has always been lucky when it comes to fights." Shino stated as he sulked in his chair.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! You haven't said a word for quite sometime! Finally admit my awesomeness?!" Naruto bragged as he laughed loudly. His laugh slowly faded when he realized Sasuke was completely ignoring him.

"Sasuke-tem-"

"NARUTO!" Sakura warned with an enormous amount of murderous killing intent.

"S-Sakura-c-chan…" Naruto raised his hands up in defeat as he backed up a bit.

Kakashi cleared his throat once more.

"May I have everyone's attention?" Kakashi said exasperatedly.

"We now move on to the third match. Shinomori Saito vs. Haruno Sakura."

A few cheers were heard from the crowd while some were still bent on booing and complaining.

"S-Sakura-chan! You're up!" Naruto cheered.

"Do your best! Sakura-chan!" Lee added.

Lee and Naruto kept on yelling cheers for Sakura as he headed for the stairs leading to the battle field.

Sakura stopped walking and glanced at Sasuke. He was just seated on his chair with his eyes closed and his hands folded.

Naruto saw this and he decided to do something, even though it was against his will.

"Oi! Sasuke! Sakura-shan is up! Aren't you gonna cheer her on?!" Naruto said as he looked at Sasuke and pointed at Sakura.

Sasuke ignored him.

"Oi!" Naruto began to walk towards Sasuke. "I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear what I said!?"

"Naruto!" Sakura desperately said. She didn't want the two of them to fight because of her.

Naruto stopped on his tracks and glanced at Sakura. "But Sakura-chan!"

"It's alright Naruto." Sakura replied as she forced a smile. "I-I… I mean… It's fine… Really…"

Kiba and Shino chose not to speak regarding the situation since they didn't want to get involved in one of team 7's quarrels.

"Sakura-chan…" Lee anxiously whispered.

"I-I'm fine Lee… Really!" Sakura replied with a slightly shaky voice.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled irritated as he made his way towards Sasuke. He was gonna make him greet Sakura good luck no matter what. But before he could reach Sasuke and grab his collar, he was stopped by Kiba and Lee.

"Relax Naruto!" Kiba scolded.

"Naruto-san!" Lee added.

As the three argued, Tenten glanced at Sasuke. Sasuke, sensing her gaze, glared at her as if saying, 'what the hell do you want?'

"Just wish her good luck." Tenten mouthed as she glared at him as well.

"_Honestly! If he just wished her good luck, then there wouldn't be any trouble…"_

Sasuke sighed.

"Good luck on your match."

Naruto, Kiba and Lee stopped struggling against each other when they heard Sasuke speak.

Naruto smiled and glanced at Sakura. _"That should cheer her up."_

Sakura's eyes widened a bit as a blush became evident on her cheeks.

"T-Thank you… Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura headed towards the stairs and then to the arena smiling.

When Sakura was no longer in the waiting area, Naruto's smile faded into a frown as he glanced down at his feet sadly. He, however, immediately looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ten… Ten?"

Tenten smiled at him. "Don't think about it too much."

"T-Tenten-chan!" Naruto said as his eyes gleamed with tears. _"She is so gentle!"_

Tenten sweat dropped both because of Naruto's reaction and the sudden honorific added to her name.

"D-Don't cry…" Tenten awkwardly stated as she patted Naruto's head.

"Arigatou… Tenten-chan!" Naruto repeated as he rubbed his eyes.

Tenten smiled at his childish antics.

"Well then, I'll just head to the little girl's room." Tenten told Naruto as she patted his head one last time.

"Aren't you going to watch Sakura-chan's match?" Naruto inquired.

"_Boy, he recovers quickly…"_ Tenten thought.

"Ah, I really need to go. I kind of need something to drink as well. I'm quite thirsty. I'll just catch up." Tenten waved at Naruto. "Oh! And if Lee asks, tell him I went to the comfort room." Tenten added as she glanced at the enthusiastic Lee leaning at the edge of the waiting area as he cheered Sakura on. He was leaning so low that he could fall off the bar railings any moment.

"Leave it to me!" Naruto happily replied as he gave Tenten a salute.

Tenten smiled at Naruto one last time then headed out.

"_I need to think…"_

**

* * *

**

Sakura approached Kakashi in the middle of the clearing. She stopped when she was a good distance to his right. She breathed in and out slowly.

"_Relax Sakura… Relax. You can do this! Sasuke-kun cheered you on! You need to do your best!"_

Sakura's eyes showed determination as she clenched her fists. But one thought kept on playing in her head.

"_Sasuke-kun cheered me on! Sasuke-kun cheered me on! Me! He cheered me on!"_

Sakura squealed softly to herself as she replayed Sasuke's words in her head.

_Good luck on your match. _

"_Ahhh!!! Shanaro!" _Sakura's inner self began to do a victory dance.

Sakura was getting all giddy in the middle of the clearing that Kakashi began to question her sanity.

"_She's about to get into a potentially dangerous match and she's acting like some love struck teenager… Tch, kids these days."_ Kakashi shook his head.

Kakashi glanced at a man wearing a red cloak who walking towards him. "State your name."

"Saito… Shinomori Saito…"

Sakura's expression immediately turned serious as she looked at her opponent from head to toe.

"_This guy…He was the one who shamelessly provoked Tsunade-sama before the elimination round."_ Sakura inspected her opponent further. _"Shinomori… Saito…"_

Sakura clenched her fists tightly.

"_He's pretty good, I admit that."_

She scrunched her eyebrows anxiously as she felt a bead of sweat trail down from her forehead to one of her eyebrows.

"_But I have to win! I can finally get Sasuke-kun to notice me after so many years of being separated from him!"_

Sakura watched as the man smirked at her cockily. She glared at him in return.

"Well, then." Kakashi paused as he glanced at both competitors to see if they were both ready.

"Let the match begin!" Kakashi stated as he jumped backwards, far away from the two fighters.

Sakura drew a kunai from her weapon's holster and held it up as she assumed a fighting stance.

Saito simply placed his hands on his hips and chuckled.

"If you underestimate me, you'll regret it." Sakura warned as she glared at the man.

"Is that so?" He mocked.

"_I can't lose! Sasuke-kun is watching… I have to-"_

Sakura glanced to where Sasuke was. Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed that he was no longer in the waiting area.

"_Sasuke-kun?! Where'd he go?"_

She tried to search for him but a voice behind her prevented her from doing so.

"Are you sure you still have time to look else where?"

Sakura's eyes widened with shock. Shinomori Saito was already behind her.

Naruto and the others watched in surprise.

"Sakura-chan!!!"

**

* * *

**

Tenten sighed as she inserted a few more coins into the vending machine.

"_What to do… What to do…"_

She watched as the can of milk tea fell off its support and appeared in the small hole located on the lower part of the contraption.

Tenten just stood there still too enraptured by her thoughts that she made no move to pick up the can of milk tea she was glancing at.

"Aren't you gonna get that?"

Tenten's eyes widened ever so slightly but immediately narrowed into slits. She looked at the nosy bastard through the corner of her eyes.

Tenten bent down and grabbed the can of milk tea still refusing to acknowledge the person who can't seem to mind his own business lately. She opened the can and drank its content, savoring the smooth cool drink in her mouth. She stopped drinking a bit to look at the person again through the corner of her eyes. His right shoulder was leaning on the wall just a few feet away from the vending machine. Tenten also didn't fail to notice the amusement in his eyes.

After taking one more gulp of her drink, she finally turned to glare at the bastard.

"What is it this time, Uchiha?"

Sasuke smirked. She was still using his surname.

"Nothing. Just making sure you haven't back out of this."

Tenten turned away from him so her back faced him. She drank the remainder of her milk tea. She looked back at Sasuke as she crushed the tin can in her hands.

Sasuke simply raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Oh? Trying to intimidate me, I propose?"

Tenten turned around and walked towards the trash bin that was situated right in front of Sasuke. She refused to have any eye contact with him. She threw the crushed, empty can into the bin and walked past Sasuke.

"I'm looking forward to your match, Tenten." Sasuke said softly but meaningfully.

Tenten stopped in her tracks. She had her back to Sasuke and Sasuke had his back to her as well.

Tenten tilted her head to glance at Sasuke one last time. She grunted as began to walk back to the waiting area. "Aren't you going to watch Sakura's fight? It's the least you can do for her." Tenten said as she continued to walk.

"It's probably over by now." Sasuke shrugged as he turned around to look at Tenten.

Tenten stopped walking. She turned around and glared at Sasuke. "How can you say that to your teammate?"

Sasuke sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not just saying that without basis. The guy she's up against showed a bit of his abilities before the preliminaries. And I can tell. Sakura is no match for him."

"You don't know that till you try." Tenten answered irritated.

Sasuke chuckled slightly. "You're starting to sound like Naruto."

"And you're starting to be just like Naruto. But Naruto, I can tolerate. You talk too much and you're annoying as hell." Tenten replied as she turned around and walked back to the waiting area.

Sasuke glared daggers at the back of Tenten. "Let's see if you're still that feisty when I'm through with you."

This earned Sasuke a wholehearted laugh from a retreating Tenten. "Yeah! Yeah!" Tenten waved her right rand. _"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"_

**

* * *

**

Tenten slowly walked towards Naruto and the others but she immediately increased her pace when she saw Kiba and Shino bending down the railings to look at something. She quickly glanced around to look for Naruto and Lee but they were no where to be found.

Tenten finally reached Kiba and Shino.

"What's wrong?"

Kiba looked at Tenten and directed her towards where Naruto and Lee were.

Tenten's eyes widened with shock. There lying in the hands of Naruto was an unconscious Sakura with a few bloody cuts and bruises.

"Sakura? What happened?!" Tenten looked at Kiba with worried eyes.

"The Saito guy she was up against was pretty good. Although his attacks were not that special, his speed was something else! I don't think even I can compare to him in speed." Kiba honestly admitted.

"It was unfortunate that she was put up against that person." Shino added.

"I see…" Tenten softly replied. She turned around only to see Sasuke standing a few feet away from her. He had the 'I told you so' look.

Tenten simply glared at him. She turned back to Sakura, Naruto and Lee. Medics were now escorting the injured Sakura to the hospital followed by a worried Naruto.

"We're lucky Naruto didn't go berserk…" Tenten softly said.

"No. In actuality, he did go crazy. But Kakashi and Lee were able to stop him in time." Kiba answered.

"Oh… That's good then." Tenten replied.

"Looks like your match is next…" Shino suddenly stated.

Tenten froze. She almost forgot! She glanced down and saw that Naruto was nowhere to be found. Lee was standing a few feet from Kakashi and was looking directly at her.

"_Oh shit…"_

Kakashi glanced at the board for the names of the fighters of the next match.

"Then, the next fight will be between group G and H's winners, Rock Lee and the Tenten."

Tenten clenched her hands into fists as he glanced down.

"_This is it. No more backing out."_

"O-Oi… Are you alright?"

Tenten glanced up to see Kiba and Shino looking at her worriedly.

"Ah? Oh! I'm fine. I'll be going down then!" Tenten cheerfully stated. TOO cheerfully.

Tenten turned around and began to head for the stairs. When she passed by Sasuke, she heard him whisper to her. "Good luck in your match… Tenten…"

"Tch…" Tenten replied as she headed down the stairs.

Kiba glanced at Shino. "Do you think she's alright?"

"Of course… She's not." Shino replied.

Kiba fell down anime style. "You didn't have to prolong your real answer!"

Shino glanced down when he saw Tenten step into the arena. "It's obvious that she's not fine. She'd be crazy if she'd feel totally fine."

"Yeah… Yeah…" Kiba replied as he glanced down at the arena. _"Something tells me that this is going to be interesting."_

Sasuke walked up towards the railings with a slight smirk evident on his face.

Kiba glanced at him and scrunched his eyebrows. There was seriously something going on between Sasuke and Tenten but he dare not ask.

**

* * *

**

Tenten tried her best to avoid Lee's meaningful glance at her as she made her way to the middle of the arena.

"_Relax Tenten. Just calm down… You won't get anything from thinking too much."_

Kakashi glanced at the two fighters of the next round as he smirked. _"Boy will this be interesting. Tenten won't lose to Lee when it comes to speed. I know that from first hand experience."_

Kakashi sighed as he remembered the little battle he had with Tenten. _"She has definitely improved. But to what extent?"_

Kakashi watched Tenten as she walked towards him. _"She hasn't done anything mind boggling yet. Is it because that really is all she can do or is she hiding her true abilities?"_

Tenten finally reached the middle of the arena. She stopped to glance at Lee. Both fighters were now having a stare down.

Kakashi sighed as his shoulders slumped. _"This is going to be one hard match to put into order."_

He glanced at Lee then Tenten then back to Lee again. "Are both fighters ready?"

Tenten simply nodded her head as her right hand neared her weapon's holster and her left hand positioned behind her back for ready access to her scroll.

"YOSH! Kakashi-sensei!" Lee replied as fire burned in his eyes.

Kakashi and Tenten sweat dropped.

"_What is he getting so worked up for?"_ Tenten thought as she sighed.

"Well, then… Let the match…" Kakashi glanced at Lee and Tenten once more.

"BEGIN!"

Kakashi jumped back-flipped swiftly, distancing himself far away from the two fighters. Getting involved in the fight in any way was the last thing on his mind right now.

Tenten immediately opened the huge scroll behind her back and sent ten kunais flying straight at Lee.

"You won't be able to defeat me if you hold back, Tenten." Lee teased as he sidestepped the weapons aimed at him. However, his mocking grin quickly disappeared from his face when he heard a hissing sound. _"Don't tell me?!"_

Tenten smirked ever so slightly.

Lee's eyes grew big in surprise._ "Explosive notes?"_

BOOM!

**

* * *

**

"Shikamaru-san?"

Shikamaru opened his eyes slowly, desperately trying to locate the voice persistently calling to him.

"Shikamaru-san!"

Shikamaru squint his eyes trying his best to adjust them to the bright light. _"Where am I?" _All he could see what white. But he could at least make out a few people around him. _"Medics?"_

"He's gaining consciousness!"

"Good. Prepare the pain relievers."

"Yes Godaime-sama!"

Shikamaru glanced at the people surrounding him and tried his best to make out a clear picture of his surroundings but everything was vague. _"Godaime? Tsunade-sama?"_ Shikamaru glanced at a person with bright blonde hair in pig tails. "_What happened?"_

"Shikamaru-san, do you know where you are?" Tsunade questioned as she inspected the young man's condition.

Shikamaru glanced at Tsunade. He opted to give a reply but his lips refused to move. _"The hospital…"_

"Shikamaru-san, can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?" Tsunade asked some more.

Shikamaru simply chose to nod. He couldn't get to his voice at all.

"I understand."

Suddenly, Shikamaru heard a loud slam which he supposed was the door.

"Tsunade-no-baachan!"

"What is it?"

Tsunade snapped as she twisted her body to glance at the idiot who was intruding the operating room.

"Naruto!" Tsunade angrily said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Naruto-san! You're not allowed-" Shizune added. However, she immediately paused when she recognized the person lying unconscious on the stretcher.

"S-Sakura?" She whispered in surprise.

"You need to help Sakura-chan now!" Naruto desperately stated.

"Get her on the operating table." Tsunade ordered.

"Naruto-san, please leave. We'll do everything we can for her." Shizune assured as she directed Naruto out of the operating room.

"She's lost quite a lot of blood." Tsunade continued as she eyed Sakura's bloody stomach and pale complexion. She immediately sterilized her hands and headed towards Sakura's struggling form.

"Get ready to operate!"

**

* * *

**

Lee coughed a bit as he hid behind a tree. _"That was close. I didn't see the explosive notes at all. I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the hissing sounds."_

Lee peeped from behind the tree as he waited for the dust and smoke to clear a bit. _"I never expected her to conceal them with bandages." _It was a good thing Lee decided to remove his weights before the match begun or else he would have been blown to pieces by now.

(AN: Let me explain what Lee means. Tenten wrapped explosive notes around the handles of the kunais and she then placed a layer of bandages over the explosive notes to conceal them. Get it?)

The dust and smoke began to vanish.

Lee immediately spotted Tenten's silhouette and smirked. _"There!"_

"_I've got her now!"_

Lee ran towards Tenten's image. "Konoha senpu!"

POOF!

"Bunshin?"

Lee went into a defensive stance as he cautiously glanced around in search for Tenten. _"Where is she?"_

When the smoke finally cleared, Lee's eyes narrowed in confusion for Tenten was no where to be seen.

"_How could she have-"_

Lee's thoughts were cut short when he saw the shadow of countless weapons growing beneath him.

Lee immediately glanced up to see a smirking Tenten along with countless weapons ready to rain on him. _"Shit!"_

**

* * *

**

That's chapter 28 I guess. Hehehe... I'm currently working on chapter 29. I'll be posting it either a day before or after the 23rd of April, which is by the way my birthday..:D..I will soon exist fro 17 years on earth!:D!Anyway, ignore me.

So what will happen next? I'll try to post the next chapter on the said date.

As for my other story, **MINE**, I'm sorry I haven't updated yet! I'll update either later or tomorrow. I'm kinda feeling dizy already so I decided to stop typing for now. I'll do my best!

Thank you for all the support I get from you guys! I'm really surprised you like this story and that you never get tired of it! Love you all!!!


	29. Chapter 29

Sorry for the late update!!! Well, I guess I enjoyed my birthday a little bit too much that I actually forgot that I had two exams coming!!! Damn… Sorry! I also have a lot of homework and stuff to read! My professor gave us readings as thick as one freaking pack of coupon bond (the one used for printers)! Damn! Imagine. ONE PACK of short coupon bond?! The pack used for printers!!! OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD.

Anyway, I hope I won't disappoint anyone with this chapter! Sorry again!!!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 29: Earth and Water?**

The arena was silent. Not even a single sound could be heard aside from the barrage of weapons the resident weapons mistress of Konoha unleashed not so long ago. The middle of the arena was filled with dust and smoke once more, preventing anyone aside from members of the Hyuga clan from seeing what was occurring in the battle field.

"H-Hey, is he alright?" Kiba nervously asked. He was clutching the rails with his hands tightly. _"I had no idea she was that violent."_ Kiba thought as he sweat dropped.

"I'm not sure. But knowing him, he won't go down that easily." Shino assured.

"Y-Yeah… I guess…" Kiba replied.

Both watched as Tenten gracefully landed on the tall cement divider of the battle field and the spectator's area. It was about five feet thick and ten feet high.

Kakashi was also standing there to avoid Tenten's merciless assault of pointed objects. He already had his forehead protector up to reveal his Sharingan. Even he didn't want to miss anything.

Kakashi was situated just a few feet to Tenten's right. He was glancing at her the whole time. _"What will she do this time?"_

The spectators quietly sitting behind her were anxiously staring at her hunched back as she crouched down on one knee and began to form hand seals.

Kakashi's eyes widened a bit at the realization. _"That's…"_

Sasuke looked at Tenten unfazed. _"Come on. Show me what you can really do."_

After forming hand seals, Tenten jumped into the battle field and disappeared into the cloud of smoke and dust.

Kakashi looked on as he narrowed his eyes. _"There's no mistaking it. The order of those hand seals…"_

The smoke finally cleared. There in the middle stood Lee whose breathing was slightly labored.

"_That was close."_ Lee thought as he panted.

"Not a single scratch…" Kiba said in disbelief as he inspected Lee's physique.

"I told you, didn't I? He won't go down that easily." Shino stated.

Lee went into another defensive stance. He glanced around and above as well to no avail. _"Where is she this time?!"_

Lee's eyes widened all of a sudden when he felt a hand grab his right ankle.

"_What the-?!"_

Lee screamed in surprise. Before he knew it, he was buried tightly under ground with only his head exposed.

"W-What is this?" He stated exasperatedly as he tried his best to struggle out of the hole that hugged his body securely.

Kakashi sighed. _"I knew it. Doton… _Moguragakure no Jutsu (Mole Hiding Technique)_…"_ He knew it all too well. It was one of the many techniques he knew that he actually allowed himself to use often. He used it on Sasuke during Team 7's bell challenge. He used it to escape Deidera's jumping bombs. And he used it on Naruto as well when he was fighting him, together with Sakura, to test both of their abilities under the Godaime Hokage's orders. And those were only to name a few.

**

* * *

**

"So she's using earth techniques!" Griselda stated smugly as she placed her hands on her hips.

Tenten's senseis were sitting comfortably in the last row of the arena seats to refrain from standing out. But the main reason why they were sitting so far away was to prevent themselves from aiding Tenten in any of her matches. If her matches get too dangerous, they might be tempted to use their blood limits to save her thereby exposing their identities. So they decided that they should distance themselves to avoid any slip ups.

"Hmp… Using wind would have been better!!!" Yue argued as he folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Indeed, Tenten-sama could use wind jutsus to fight against a guy whose expertise is taijustsu…" Mifuyu began.

"You're just jealous because Tenten-sama chose my element…" Griselda bragged.

"What did you say?!" Yue argued back.

"Now, now… There's no need to act like children." Mifuyu tried her best to stop a fight between the two.

"Using earth attacks would be much more effective." Lucas suddenly stated out of the blue.

"Ha! See that? Even Lucas agrees!" Griselda stated triumphantly.

Yue sneered at both of them.

"What do you mean it would be more effective? Wind attacks are faster than earth attacks. Even if he's fast, air is present all around him so you could use-"

"You'll understand later on in the match." Lucas cut him off.

Yue was about to talk back but Mifuyu held him and shook her head. "Let's just see what Tenten-sama has up her sleeves."

Yue glared at Lucas once more. "Hmp…"

The four quieted down and continued to watch the match.

**

* * *

**

Lee paused a while from struggling out of the jutsu and looked at Tenten. His eyes grew big and were almost about to pop.

Tenten stood a few meters from him and was holding a huge scroll in her hand. A slight smirk was etched in her excited face. She was finally getting into the game.

"W-What are you planning?" Lee stuttered a little bit scared.

"Well, you've managed to escape all of my weapon attacks so far…" Tenten paused as she glanced up and gave the impression that she was in deep thought.

"So… I'll try another method." Tenten replied and gave Lee a wide grin that practically said 'Let's see you deal with this!'.

Lee began to struggle out of the hole once more but this time, he was trying harder. He just couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't get out of that hole, he'd be turned into a human pin cushion.

"_Come on! Come on!"_

Lee paused yet again when he saw Tenten twirl around while taking a few steps forward. She was trying to gain momentum.

"Don't you dare die, Lee! I don't want to be held responsible for your death!" Tenten yelled as she released her grasp on the huge scroll. A huge smile was on her face. _"You better get out of this!"_

"W-What the-?!" Kiba yelled as his eyes popped out.

"Don't tell me…" Shino whispered in disbelief.

(AN: For those who do not know, Tenten performed this technique in Naruto Shippuuden while she was fitting a copy of herself – a trap set by the Akatsuki. She practically turned her copy into a human pin cushion.)

Lee's eyes popped as he gazed at the huge scroll fly above his head. If Tenten was going to do what he thought she was going to do, he was dead.

"_I still have so many things to do! I can't die like this! Besides, I promised Gai-sensei that I will definitely become a Jounin!"_

Lee struggled out of the hole with everything he had.

"_And also…"_

Lee kept on struggling as he glanced at the Hyuga clan's genius from the corner of his eyes. He was sitting ever so coolly in the proctor's area. He was watching the match impassively as always.

All of a sudden, Lee saw Neji glance at him. _"He must have seen me looking…"_

He paused from struggling and turned his head slightly to look at the Byakugan genius. He looked away in embarrassment when he saw Neji smirk at him with his trademark Hyuga smirk that just made you wanna hit him right then and there. He also was giving him the 'you're-such-a-pathetic-loser' look. If only Lee could look a little closer, he would see the amusement and mockery evident in Neji's piercing eyes.

When Lee turned to look at Neji once more with a slight glare, his eyes grew a bit when he saw his 'eternal rival' shake his head at him in disapproval.

Lee froze. His background was shattered to bits. The person he dreamed of defeating in battle, the Hyuga clan's genius, the Byakugan wielder, the number one rookie of their year, his eternal rival, was showing him disapproval?

Lee narrowed his eyes and made a clicking sound with his teeth.

"_I can't lose to Neji!"_

"Lee!" Tenten yelled in slight annoyance and worry. _"When the hell is he gonna get out of the stupid hole!?"_

Lee glanced at Tenten then back up. All he saw was a thick cloud of smoke. _"What's going on?"_

Lee narrowed his eyes to get a better look at what was happening with the scroll. Then, after a less than a second, another storm of weapons were heading right at him. Some even had explosive notes attached to them. _"Shit!"_

Lee closed his eyes shut.

"_This can't be happening. I can't die at a place like this!"_

Lee opened his eyes ones more.

"_Concentrate! I need to concentrate!"_

His eyes were now burning with 'youth' as what he and Gai would put it.

"_I can't lose to Neji! I most definitely can't!"_

"Lee!" Tenten yelled once more as the weapons finally rained all the way down and crushed everything in their path.

Tenten raised her right arm to cover her eyes. _"Lee!"_

**

* * *

**

Tsunade sighed tiredly as she took the towel being handed to her by another medical ninja. She slowly wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"She's out of the critical stage. She's safe now." Tsunade assured.

The room was then filled with sounds of relief and celebration.

"What happened to her?"

Tsunade turned her attention to the other patient in the operating room. They didn't get a chance to move him into an ordinary room yet since Sakura needed treatment immediately.

"Her stomach was pierced." Tsunade answered. "But she's fine now."

Tsunade turned to fix a few of her surgical apparatuses.

"I see…" Shikamaru answered. "When can I get out?"

Tsunade paused. She turned around to glance at the lazy ninja with an 'are-you-stupid' look.

"You still haven't regained control of some of your senses. Your coordination is messed up and you can't even move on your own. Thinking of when you're going to get out should be the last thing on your mind."

Tsunade went back to fixing her things.

Shikamaru simply sighed and gave the impression that he was listening.

"_I can't even understand what she's saying."_

Tsunade paused for a bit. She turned around and walked towards the end of Shikamaru's bed.

"By the way, do you remember how you were poisoned? Or remember any instances that could have been the reason why you were poisoned?"

It took Shikamaru some time to process what Tsunade was saying. He couldn't understand some of her words.

Tsunade realized this and repeated what she said slowly.

Shikamaru read her lips and understood.

"I'm not sure. There were a lot of instances wherein I got scratched and stabbed. It must have been one of those."

"I see…"

"But what really bothers me is, how come it took this long for this poison to take effect?" Shikamaru paused.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If that person wanted to win, then he/she should have made a poison that would have worked faster. I began feeling the effects of the poison about five hours after my last match. That's too long."

Tsunade nodded in reply.

"Now what's left is: what is that person's purpose? Why did he/she poison me?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

He still couldn't see that well. Things were still blurry. He also couldn't hear that well. Those two senses of his were quite busted.

"I understand." Tsunade replied. "We're still investigating on the poison and constructing an antidote for it. I've removed the majority of the poison in your body but its effect is still great."

Tsunade paused as she looked at Shikamaru seriously. "I've never seen anything like it."

Shikamaru smirked. "So this has turned into quite a mystery."

"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade turned towards the door only to see a rushing Shizune.

"What is it? And why are you shouting and running like that in the hospital?" Tsunade scolded.

"The analysis… Of the poison…" Shizune stated in between gasps.

Tsunade grabbed the piece of paper. Her eyes slowly widened at what she read.

"This is…"

Shikamaru glanced at the Godaime. "What is it?"

**

* * *

**

The arena was engulfed in yet another strong cloud of smoke and dust. The air pressure decreased gradually and all that was left was the thick, suffocating cloud of smoke and dust.

Kakashi stood tall on the cement divider as he placed his hands into his pockets. _"If this continues, there won't be anything left of the arena."_

Tenten brought her hands down when the pressuring air of the weapons disappeared. She glanced around. _"Lee?"_

Tenten immediately paused when she sensed something very nostalgic. She slowly closed her eyes and smirked. _"So it finally begins…"_

"What happened?" Kiba inquired as he leaned from the railings. "Is fuzzy eyebrows alright? I can't see a thing!" He sniffed a bit trying to at least get an idea on what was happening in the battle field.

Shino remained quiet. After all, he didn't know the answer to Kiba's question. But he knew in his heart that this battle wouldn't be over that easily. _"He fought Gaara of the Sand back then. Even if he didn't win, he was certainly one of the best participants in that exam."_

Shino looked on as he recalled the first Chuunin exam they took. _"He would have gotten through if he was placed against another opponent. Even I am not confident of facing him."_ He hated to admit it but he would surely be in big trouble if Lee were to be his opponent.

Suddenly, Shino's train of thought was cut when he heard Kiba yell.

"AH! It's that… that move!"

Shino averted his gaze from the noisy Inuzuka boy back to the battle field much to his surprise.

"That one…" Shino began but Kiba interrupted.

"That's the move he used against Gaara of the Sand before, right?"

"That would be correct." Shino affirmed.

"Damn…" Kiba cursed as he clicked his tongue.

"Finally…" Sasuke stated with a slight smirk evident on his handsome face. He was looking down with his eyes closed and his hands folded in front of his chest. He looked quite relaxed and relieved in a way.

Shino and Kiba glanced at the Uchiha avenger.

"Finally?" Kiba paused to look from Sasuke to Shino.

Shino simply looked at back at him equally puzzled.

"Finally what?" Kiba asked as he looked on at the Sharingan wielder.

Sasuke smirked. He opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the arena once more. "Now the real fun begins."

Kiba gave Sasuke an inquiring looked once more. Curiosity was finally getting the better of him. He was about to ask Sasuke what the deal was with him and the girl from Neji's team but a hand immediately landed on his shoulder the moment he opened his mouth.

"What is it, Shino?"

Shino looked at him for a while.

"What?!" Kiba asked once more this time a little annoyed.

"Don't meddle into other people's business." Shino whispered as he removed his hand over Kiba's shoulder. He looked back to the arena once more.

Kiba opened his mouth to protest but he stopped himself in the end. After all, Shino was right.

Kiba sighed as he glanced at Akamaru. Akamaru simply gave him an inquiring look.

"Nah, it's nothing…" Kiba answered as he too went back to watching the match.

The smoke and dust was slowly clearing up. A silhouette could be seen vaguely, standing in the middle of the ruined grounds.

Suddenly, a strong pressure sent all of the smoke and dust to vanish outwards from the battle ground, going to the spectator's area, then out of the arena.

Tenten snapped her head up with a smirk on her face.

"So you're really serious this time…"

There, in the middle stood Lee. But he didn't look like the usual Lee at all. His skin was reddish in color and veins were popping slightly from his temples. The air that surrounded him changed in direction due to the pressure from his body. His chakra flowed continuously around him, creating such an intimidating aura.

"Fifth Gate! Tomon (Limit Gate)! Kai!" Lee shouted.

Another strong gush of air was felt throughout the arena.

Tenten raised her hands up to cover her face. _"Shit…"_

"I'm serious this time, Tenten! I hope there won't be any bad feelings for each of us after this fight!" Lee stated.

"Of course!"

Tenten smiled as she retracted her hands from her face but was shocked to see Lee already in front of him. _"Shit!"_

"Konoha senpu!"

Tenten flew backwards.

"_I let my guard down!"_

Tenten arched her back and cart wheeled backwards. Just as she managed to regain her balance, Lee suddenly appeared behind her.

"There's no time for rests, Tenten!"

Tenten immediately twisted her back and raised her hands in front of her face to somehow block the attack.

Tenten successfully blocked Lee's kick but she was still sent flying backwards due to the force.

"_It's too strong!"_

While in midair, Tenten saw Lee appear right in front of her again.

"I'm not yet finished!"

Lee threw in a couple of punch and kicks.

Tenten managed to block some but a few of Lee's hits still connected to her body.

Tenten was sent flying backwards to the cement divider. The divider was crushed and Tenten's body was embedded on it deeply.

"Tenten-sama!" Griselda and Yue both yelled as they stood up.

"Stop! Both of you!" Lucas ordered. "We're not to interfere in this at all."

"But!" They both said in unison.

"Sit. Down." Lucas whispered dangerously. He too was angered that Tenten was getting hurt but he knew that he was not allowed to do anything about it.

Yue and Griselda forced themselves to sit back down.

"Let's just believe in Tenten-sama. She'll get herself out of this." Mifuyu assured the three.

Yue and Griselda quieted down but that didn't mean they were no longer thinking of rushing down to the battle field and beating up the watermelon peel and ripping his body into pieces.

Mifuyu glanced at Lucas. She expected to at least see an angered face or a scowl but what she saw was a face showing confusion and disbelief.

"Is something wrong Lucas?" Mifuyu asked in curiosity but she received no answer from the fire expert. He was too engulfed with his thoughts that he didn't even hear Mifuyu speak.

Tenten forcefully pushed herself out of the rock hard divider. She breathed in and out raggedly as she fell on her knees.

She slowly glanced up to look at Lee. He was in his signature fighting stance again. His hair was flowing freely due to the air pressure around him, which was caused by the massive amounts of chakra being released from all over his body.

Tenten smiled a bit as she slowly rose to her feet.

"That… Seriously hurt…" Tenten said as she looked at Lee with a slightly pained face.

"You should condition yourself, Tenten. Everything will get harder from here on."

Tenten smirked at Lee's line as she looked down. "I know. I know…"

Neji looked at Tenten's form. _"So she has only improved this far… She's gotten fast, but not fast enough to handle Lee when he opens his gates."_

Neji watched as Tenten struggled to stay on her feet. He closed his eyes impassively. _"It's over. The winner has been decided."_

"O-Oi…" Kiba said in worry but this time for Tenten. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She can't handle him anymore." Shino stated.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Tenten. _"Come on. Don't tell me you can only do this?"_

"Is it alright to let this match continue?" Kiba was glancing from Sasuke to Shino.

"That is not for us to decide." Shino answered.

Sasuke simply ignored the two. His eyes were glued on the battle field.

Kiba quieted down as he glanced at Lee then at Tenten. "I understand… But…"

"Then what do you suggest? We stop the match?" Shino added.

This caused Sasuke to narrow his eyes a bit at Shino as he glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. _"Stop the match?"_

Kiba opened his mouth to retort but he paused, then he glanced at Akamaru.

"She'd probably be furious if we did."

Shino nodded in agreement. "She's not like other kunoichis."

Sasuke, satisfied with knowing that they were no longer planning to interrupt the match, went back to watching the two fighters on the battle grounds.

"In my few encounters with her on missions, I can say that she is similar to Hinata." Shino added.

"Hinata?" Kiba asked. How could they be similar when in fact they were so different?

Shino nodded. "They both won't back down without a fight."

Kiba's eyes widened a bit in realization. "I see…"

Akamaru barked in agreement as well.

Kiba raised his hands to support the back of his neck as he grinned. "It ain't over till it's over, huh?"

Tenten was now on her feet. Her breathing was a bit labored but she still had a smile on her face.

"_What do I do now? The best thing to do is to stop his movement. I need to trap him somehow."_

Tenten's eyes widened with realization. _"I could use that!"_

"Be prepared Tenten! Because here I come!" Lee sped up towards Tenten in a flash.

Before Tenten could react, Lee sent her flying backwards with a kick.

"Konoha senpu!"

Tenten flinched a bit in pain. However, as she flew backwards, she began forming a few hand seals. Since she was up in the air, no one was able to see what hand seals she was forming.

Tenten was surprised when Lee immediately appeared in front of her while she was in the air. He was about two meters away from her.

Lee spun forward, head first, as he raised his right foot.

He kicked Tenten on the stomach and sent her falling down the ground with a loud crash. Dust escaped from the ground forming a huge, cloudy smoke around Tenten's landing area.

The arena was quiet.

Lee spun a few times before he reached the ground. He landed gracefully on his feet as the sun rays bounced off his glossy hair.

"I know that that isn't enough to bring you down, Tenten!"

He glanced at where Tenten landed and took up his fighting stance once more. He patiently waited for the dust to clear out before making his next move.

When the cloud of dust finally cleared, Lee's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

There, embedded a few feet within the ground, was a large stuffed panda.

"_Replacement technique!"_

"How cute!" Lee heard a little girl yell in the crowd.

Lee narrowed his eyes and heightened his senses. He glanced to his right and left preparing for whatever ambush Tenten had in store for him. _"Where is she?"_

Lee's eyes suddenly widened at the thought that crossed his mind.

"_Don't tell me she's?"_

Lee jumped away from where he once stood and glanced below him immediately.

"_She could do that technique she did a while ago…"_

Lee jumped from one place to another randomly as he prepared for Tenten's next move.

"_Where? Where?"_

He continued to jump like a rabbit trying its best to escape from a predator.

"_Where is she?"_

"It looks like Lee thinks Tenten is going to do the earth technique she did on him a while ago." Kiba stated.

"One would think…" Shino answered.

Sasuke watched the fight with boredom. _"When is this match finally going to get interesting?"_

All of a sudden, Lee paused from jumping.

"Let's see if you can still catch up with me!" He announced as he glanced around the arena.

Lee began to run around in a circle with great speed.

"What is he doing?!" Kiba said exasperatedly as he raised his hands in front of his face.

Shino and Sasuke did the same.

Due to Lee unbelievable speed, a small tornado began to grow in the middle of the battle field. The spectators began to grow a bit noisy as they panicked and raised their hands in front of their faces. The people seated near the battle grounds were holding on to the rails and chairs in fear of being eaten by the man-made (in his case Lee-made) tornado.

Kakashi further backed away from the battle grounds. He was now in one of the aisles of stairs in the spectator's area. He had his hands up to his face as well. He glanced to his left and was surprised to see Gai sitting quietly on a chair.

"This is new. You've been silent this whole entire match." Kakashi said as he looked at the growing tornado Lee was creating.

Gai didn't reply.

Kakashi glanced at Gai when he didn't speak. "Something wrong with your voice? A stomach ache? Or perhaps… That time of month?"

Gai's eyes popped. "Just what the hell are you sating Kakashi!!!" He had his fists raised at the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi turned to look at Gai with his hands raised up in defeat. "It was a joke…"

Kakashi then brought his left hand back down but kept his right hand up to prevent anything from accidentally entering his eyes. He glanced at Gai's serious demeanor in curiosity. After all, it wasn't everyday that you saw the self-proclaimed beautiful Green Beast of Konoha actually look serious. Kakashi looked at him then sighed.

"You're worried about this match aren't you?"

Gai looked at his eternal rival with tears flowing freely from his eyes as he nodded.

"I made it a point to give a congratulatory speech to all my students when they engage in battles! However, both of my students are fighting each other now! If I give my speech to the winner, the loser will surely be consumed by his/her disappointment! Also, the loser will feel rejected by me, his/her favorite sensei in the world!"

Gai scratched his head in frustration. He had no idea what to do anymore. "It's hard to celebrate with one if the other has lost!"

Kakashi simply sweat dropped at Gai's silly antiques._ "There he goes again… Always making some sort of rule or thing to do whenever something comes up…"_

Kakashi simply sighed and glanced back to the fight seeing if he missed anything important. He tried his best to ignore Gai's noisy wails and cries.

All of a sudden, the tornado vanished.

The arena grew noisy; each one inquiring to another on what had happened.

The battle field was still cloaked in dust so visibility was practically zero.

"Tch! Why does the dust always get in the way?!" Kiba stated irritated. He had no idea what was happening. All he knew was that the two of them were in the cloud of dust and were both uninjured.

Shino and Sasuke remained quiet but neither knew what was happening in the battle grounds as well.

**

* * *

**

"I see…"

The proctors glanced towards the Hyuga genius when they heard him spoke. They were a bit surprised when they saw him smirk.

Neji deactivated his Byakugan and closed his eyes. He was looking down with his arms folded in front of him. He still had a smirk on his face.

The proctors looked at each other curiously. Neji must have seen something very interesting happening in the battle field for him to smirk like that. He usually had a poker face on whenever you see him – never showing any sort of emotion whatsoever. This definitely got the proctors excited about the next events of the match.

"Ne, Hyuga-san? What did you see?" One of the proctors asked not being to take the suspense.

Neji still had his smirk on as he opened his eyes and looked on at the battle field with a new found interest.

"You'll see…"

**

* * *

**

Shikamaru looked on at the Godaime and decided to repeat his question.

"What is it?"

Tsunade closed her eyes as she slowly brought the paper to her side and clutched it tightly.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel anxious at the Hokage's behavior.

"We've..." Tsunade began.

"You've?" Shikamaru pushed on.

"We've administered a cure for the poison."

Shikamaru eyed Tsunade suspiciously.

"And?"

Tsunade sighed. She knew he was going to question further.

"We've made a cure but it seems…" Tsunade paused.

"It seems?" Shikamaru impatiently questioned.

"It seems the poison is not the problem."

Shikamaru didn't bother to mask the confusion and surprise on his face.

"What do you mean it's not the problem?"

Tsunade sighed.

Shizune glanced at the tired Hokage and decided to finish for her.

"We've found out that the poison was only used as a masking agent."

"A masking agent for what?" Shikamaru inquired once more. He was getting rather impatient with them. They were stalling too much and it really took him a great deal of effort just to listen to them and read their lips. After all, both his eyes and ears still weren't working that well.

"A paralyzing agent was added into the poison. It took us some time to detect it because the poison was masking its effects." Shizune concluded.

Shikamaru was quiet. He refused to give any reply so Shizune decided to continue.

"When Tsunade-sama removed the poison in your body via the liquid surgery, she was able to remove some of the paralyzing agent. However, some traces were still left. They've targeted your limbs and your eyes and ears. We're currently analyzing the paralyzing agent in the lab. But so far, we've still not been able to get anywhere." Shizune finished.

Shikamaru was impassive. "I see. So that was his purpose for the poison."

Shizune looked at the lazy Chuunin. "We'll do whatever we can to find a cure."

Shikamaru then managed to give her a smile. "I'm counting on you guys then."

Shizune bowed and left the room.

Shikamaru glanced at Tsunade.

"So… What is they're purpose for paralyzing me now?"

**

* * *

**

"Hey!" Kiba shouted as he pointed towards the battle field. "Take a closer look!"

Sasuke smirked. Maybe there still was something left to watch in this match.

Shino followed the direction Kiba's finger was pointing. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Isn't that mud?!" Kiba inquired as he glanced at Sasuke and Shino.

The cloud of dust was slowly disappearing and a gigantic puddle of mud could be seen situated in the middle of the arena. And in the middle of the huge mud patch was a struggling Lee.

Shino fixed his sunglasses and nodded. "I definitely didn't see this coming."

"I was surprised when I saw her use an earth technique but now, I'm even more surprised knowing that she has affinity for water as well!" Kiba stated. His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"She is quite talented." Shino began. "She was able to make a mud patch that huge."

Kiba nodded as he glanced at Shino. "It's so large that you can actually call it a mud lake!"

"Plus, she created her own water source." Shino pointed out.

Kiba's eyes widened a bit. "Come to think of it…"

Sasuke simply smirked. "Looks like this match is far from over…"

Kiba and Shino glanced at the Uchiha avenger.

"I guess…" Kiba whispered as he glanced back to the arena.

Lee refused to be engulfed by the mud. Whenever he was pulled down, he exerted enough force to bring himself up. However, he couldn't fully get himself out of the mud.

"How can mud be this strong?!" Lee complained as he tried to get out of Tenten's trap.

As Lee struggled to get out of the trap, he saw Tenten slowly rise out of the mud just a few meters in front of him. Soon, she was standing right in front of him but her feet were buried in the mud.

"Doton… Doryuu Taiga (Earth Flow River)…" Tenten whispered with a smirk.

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. _"Who would have thought..."_

"I see… You can use water and earth techniques now. As expected… I should have not underestimated you." Lee spoke with a few pauses due to his struggles against the persistent mud.

"You didn't underestimate me, Lee. You just didn't know what to expect." Tenten corrected. She formed a seal with her right hand.

Lee's eyes widened as the mud began to pull him down at a faster rate. It was also becoming denser and denser.

Lee made a clicking sound with his tongue. _"This is so nostalgic."_

Lee exerted even more effort. Chakra was leaking out of his body. _"This feels exactly just like Gaara-san's technique."_

"I won't let you out that easily, Lee." Tenten said as she tilted her head to the right.

Lee glanced at Tenten with a desperate look. "I will not lose here!"

Tenten smiled. He sure was determined. His spirit was as strong as steel.

Tenten watched in surprise as Lee broke free from her mud's grasp. He was now suspended up in the air.

Lee grinned at her. "What was that about not letting me out that easily Tenten?"

Tenten gave him a tired look. "I meant what I said…"

Tenten released more chakra into the mud and before Lee knew it, he was being dragged back to the mud lake with even stronger force.

"What the?!" Lee stated frustratingly as the mud circled around his body, arms and even crawling up to his face.

"Let's see you get out of this!" Tenten stated with force as she released more chakra into the mud.

Lee's eyes grew big as his body was being dragged down into the mud. He tried to struggle out of it with all he had but nothing was working.

"_I can't break free!"_

After a few more seconds, Lee's whole body was eaten by the mud.

Tenten exhaled as she brought down her right hand.

She jumped out of the mud and landed on the mud-free part of the battle grounds.

She glanced around in search for Kakashi when he suddenly appeared beside her.

"Mud, eh?" Kakashi said as he glanced at Tenten.

Tenten simply smiled at him.

Kakashi glanced at the mud patch. They needed to get Lee out of there and fast or else he would suffocate.

"And the winner is-" Kakashi was forced to pause for there seemed to be some sort of explosion in the mud.

Kakashi and Tenten jumped backwards and took shelter behind the thick cement divider.

It was now raining mud.

The audience grew noisy as the mud fell on each and everyone of them.

Tenten's four senseis sweat dropped.

"I guess it really was a good thing that we took seats located far behind the arena." Griselda commented.

Yue nodded. "Or else we would have been covered in mud."

**

* * *

**

"What happened?" Tenten inquired as she peeped out into the battle grounds from behind the divider to her surprise.

There, in the middle stood Lee. More chakra was flowing from his body.

Tenten's eyes widened with surprise. _"Don't tell me…"_

"Seventh Gate! Kyomon (Gate of Wonder)! Kai!" Lee shouted.

A strong gush of wind flew away from Lee's body due to his chakra's pressure. It flew outwards to the arena.

People shuddered as they continued to watch the battle.

Tenten sighed in defeat. _"Damn… This is going to get even more troublesome."_

"Looks like this fight isn't over yet…" Kakashi stated as he glanced at Tenten. "Good luck."

Tenten grinned sheepishly at Kakashi as she scratched her head. "I'm seriously gonna need that!"

Tenten sighed and did a bit of stretching. Kakashi simply watched her impassively.

"I guess I'm gonna head back now!" Tenten said as she did one last stretch. She disappeared from behind the divider and reappeared in the battle field.

Kakashi jumped up to stand on the cement divider. He folded his hands in front of his chest, determined to watch the match with his Sharingan in full blast.

"_Something tells me that girl is still not releasing her full potential yet…"_

Tenten stood in front of Lee preparing for his next attack. _"This needs to end and fast. Only God knows how long I can control my blood limits from appearing!"_

Tenten narrowed her eyes. From the beginning of the match, she had 30 percent of her concentration allotted for controlling her blood limits. If this matched continued, she knew she wouldn't be able to suppress them anymore.

"_If I increase my concentration on controlling my blood limits, my movements would decline for sure and a lot of people would notice..."_ Tenten glanced at the waiting area for the fighters of the next match, then at Kakashi, Gai, Neji and a lot other more ninjas of high rank._ "If that happens, I can't go through with my plan!"_

Tenten had a desperate look on her face. She knew she shouldn't have accepted this challenge. Now she was facing the risk of blowing her cover in front of the whole of Konoha.

Tenten make a clicking sound with her tongue.

"Eight Gate! Shimon (Gate of Death)! Kai!!!" Lee shouted.

Tenten clenched her fists. She was in big trouble.

"Hachimon Tonko no Jin (Eight Gates Released Formation)!" Lee crouched as he clenched his fists.

Tenten bit her lip. _"It's done..."_

Lee began to slowly remove the bandages on his hands.

Tenten's eyes grew big in realization.

"_That's!"_

Faster than ever before, Lee appeared right in front of Tenten in a crouching position.

"_This move is-"_

Lee immediately kicked her in the jaw sending her flying upwards into the air.

Tenten cringed in pain.

Lee appeared behind her as expected.

"It ends here, Tenten."

Lee wrapped Tenten up with his bandages and held her in place.

"It didn't expect myself to go this far against you."

Tenten's eye twitched. _"Was that supposed to be a compliment?!"_

Lee began to spin to gain momentum.

"You're a worthy opponent!"

Lee concluded as he spun faster.

Lee and Tenten landed hard on the battle grounds. The arena shook terribly.

"Damn! It feels like an earthquake!" Kiba said as his eyes popped out as he pointed towards the explosion. "Is she even going to survive that?"

This time, Shino was as worried as Kiba. "He may have over done it."

Sasuke looked at the explosion with narrowed and skeptical eyes. _"This can't be the end."_

Kakashi looked on trying to see any sign of the two examinees to no avail.

"Byakugan!"

Neji searched the now ruined arena grounds for Lee and Tenten.

When the cloud of dust disappeared, everyone was shocked.

There in the middle of the grounds was Lee. He was lying on the ground breathing heavily due to exhaustion. His gates were now closed. But the image that shocked them was Tenten's body sprawled helplessly on a huge crater.

"Tenten-sama!" Yue and Griselda yelled in unison as they both stood up.

Kiba and Shino were in shock.

Sasuke looked at the scene impassively.

Kakashi immediately approached the middle of the arena to inspect the two fighters.

He passed by Lee who was slowly making his way back to his feet. He went down the huge crater hastily to inspect Tenten's body. The moment he touched her, his eyes grew big in shock.

**

* * *

**

Griselda and Yue slowly sat down. The anxiousness in their faces was replaced by irritated looks. Something wasn't right.

They both glanced at Lucas and Mifuyu only to see that they too had the same expressions as they did.

Tenten's four senseis looked on with troubled and confused faces until finally, Griselda chose to break the silence.

"I don't understand."

Yue and Mifuyu glanced toward her.

"What do you mean you don't understand!?" Yue replied with a slightly irritated face.

"Why is she so weak?" Griselda stated. "Last time I checked, she was able to beat all four of us just by herself!"

Yue quieted down and his face became serious. "That's what I've been thinking about as well."

Griselda looked at him incredulously. "Liar!"

"What did you say!?"

The two were about to fight once more but they stopped when they heard Mifuyu and Lucas converse with each other.

"She's doing it on purpose, isn't she?" Mifuyu asked as she glanced worriedly at Lucas.

Lucas closed his eyes. He folded his hands on his chest and nodded.

"What?!" Griselda and Yue yelled at the same time.

"Why would she do something like that?!" Griselda frustratingly asked as she looked at Lucas, waiting for him to answer.

"Yeah! After all the trouble she's been through, why would she-" Yue immediately stopped talking. He suddenly had an epiphany.

"Get it now?" Lucas said as he opened his eyes to glance at Yue.

"Get what!?" Griselda inquired irritated. She didn't understand a thing.

Yue faced Griselda as he spoke. "If Tenten wins in this match, who will be her next opponent?"

Griselda glanced at the schedule of the matches shown on one of the many small screens scattered around the spectator's area. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Uchiha! She's going to fight an Uchiha?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, to be exact…" Mifuyu pointed out.

"Get it now?" Yue concluded.

Griselda nodded but her eye brows furrowed in confusion.

"So what are you implying? Tenten-sama's trying to avoid a match with that Uchiha Sasuke so she's losing on purpose?"

Yue, Mifuyu and Lucas didn't answer. That was enough to tell Griselda that her statement was in fact, the truth.

"No way…" She said incredulously as she glanced at Tenten's lifeless figure on the battle grounds.

Lucas looked on with a bit of anxiousness. He knew Tenten was planning to lose but it's not like he could do anything about it. She knew what she was doing. He'll just have to leave everything up to her. Besides, for once she actually listened to the warning they gave her about not fighting with a potentially dangerous opponent.

"_But that Rock Lee is a potentially dangerous opponent as well. I had expected Tenten-sama to forfeit this match but she didn't."_

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. If Tenten just forfeited the match, she wouldn't have to let herself get hurt.

Lucas clenched his fists. _"Is she alright?"_

**

* * *

**

Lee stood in the middle of the arena breathing heavily. He glanced down to where Kakashi and Tenten where and his eyes widened.

"_What did I just do?!"_

Lee looked at his hands in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he just did. He was so caught up in the match that he actually forgot to hold back.

All of a sudden, Kakashi appeared beside him.

Lee glanced at Kakashi. He was probably going to announce who the winner was.

Lee's eyes softened in regret. He looked at his hands once more as if he was some sort of murderer.

"Don't worry." Kakashi said to comfort the frightened Lee.

Lee snapped out of his trance to look at Kakashi.

"Then, she's okay?!"

Kakashi smiled at Lee. "She is."

Lee sighed in relief.

Kakashi began to walk away.

Lee looked at his sensei's eternal rival in confusion. _"How about the announcement of the winner?"_

Kakashi continued to walk away.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Lee yelled inquiringly.

Kakashi stopped walking when he reached a small puddle of mud situated to his left.

He then raised and waved his right hand in the air. "This match isn't over yet."

Lee's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you…?"

Lee glanced at the crater where Tenten's body once lay. His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.

Tenten's body was slowly turning into mud.

"Replacement…" Lee whispered incredulously.

All of a sudden, Lee sensed Tenten's chakra behind him.

He turned around immediately.

There, right in front of him, was Tenten. She was slowly coming out of a small mud puddle – the mud puddle right beside Kakashi. Her hands were forming a hand seal as she slowly rose out of the puddle.

"No way…" Lee whispered in shock.

"As expected of Kakashi-sensei…" Tenten said as she smiled at Kakashi.

Kakashi simply looked at Tenten. He didn't see that one coming.

Tenten glanced at Lee and sighed out loud. Then her face changed from a relieved to an angry one.

"What the hell were you trying to do? Get me killed?" Tenten scolded.

Lee flinched at her tone. "I-I'm sorry! I got carried away! It was just that… The match! And… And you! And then there was the! And then I was… I'm sorry!!!"

Tenten placed her hands on her hips. "Never mind…"

Lee paused in the middle of his apology.

Tenten gave Lee a challenging look. "I survived anyway."

**

* * *

**

Well, will Tenten win or not? Or does she have another plan in mind? How about her senseis? Will they intervene? How about Shikamaru? Why was he paralyzed? Is it just something to be shrugged off? Or will it have an important impact in the future? Will Tsunade find a cure?

Just find out next time!!! Only here, on **Dragon Seal**!

Anyway, I kind of have bad news for the readers of my other SasuTenJi story, **MINE**, well, I'm not saying I'm going to stop writing or updating or anything! It's not that drastic! Well, it's just that I can't seem to figure out how to continue it! BUT… Here's the BIG BUT. I will, most probably, do my best to write the next chapter of **MINE **tonight AND post it either tomorrow or the day after that! I'm not promising but I'm saying that I will try… OR! If I feel really good, I'll post it a little later!!! Hahaha! In my dreams! Well, wish me luck!

Thanks so much for the support you gave this story!!! You readers really drive me to make more and more chapters despite my hectic schedule!

LOVE YOU LOTS!!!


	30. Chapter 30

Hey guys!

I'm back! After what seems like HALF a year... I know. I know! What the hell took me so long?! I'm sorry!!! I have no excuse! College has been so hard on me. This is the first time I've checked my account in HALF a year! NO kidding!

I read the reviews and messages and I felt so bad for not updating for so long that I didn't sleep all night and day to finish this chapter!

I don't know if you guys will like it or if you guys will think that it was well worth the wait but I did my best! I haven't written for so long that I forgot how this story was going so I had to reread the last few chapters! What was funny was since I couldn't remember it that well anymore, I felt excited and well, I was drawn to the story again! I can't believe I wrote it. Seriously. Anyway! Enough of my crap. You couldn't care less what the hell I'm blabbing about anyway! So here's chapter 30!!!

I'M SO SORRY AGAIN...

**AND PIECE OF ADVICE: READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU READ THIS SO THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO IT!!!**

* * *

**Chapter 30: The Winner  
**

"I don't get it. I don't get it at all!" Griselda exasperatedly stated as she glanced her other three companions. "I thought she was planning to lose?"

Lucas let out a tired sigh. Even he himself had no idea what Tenten had in mind anymore.

"I guess… She has other plans?" Mifuyu answered unsurely.

"That's Tenten-sama for you! You never know what'll happen till it happens!" Yue proudly added. There was no way he would accept it if Tenten lost in this match.

"However, there is one thing I don't get though. I know I already asked this but… Why is she using water and earth techniques instead of wind techniques? Since her opponent's main strength is speed, shouldn't the use of wind techniques be wiser since they're faster and they have greater reach?" Yue inquired.

"For one, using earth and water to create mud was smart because it greatly slowed down the opponent. Another guess I have is that she chose earth and water jutsus because those two are the most common combinations a ninja can possess in terms of affinity. I suppose she doesn't want to stand out." Lucas paused. "Just imagine what would happen if she used both wind and fire techniques, two well-known affinities of Uchiha clan members. Even lightning, a very rare affinity along with wind, would definitely get her attention especially from Konoha's Copy Ninja. Or even more absurd, water and fire techniques. Two completely opposite affinities… Wind and Earth aren't that common either since they too are opposites. My theory is that she's just being cautious. Standing out at this point in time will be very crucial for her." Lucas replied.

"Then, why won't she just stick to using wind techniques then?" Yue pushed on.

"Have you completely forgotten one of the most common abilities of a Jounin, blockhead?" Griselda answered irritated. "One should be able to at least have two or more nature manipulation abilities. If Tenten-sama doesn't show off a few moves, she won't get promoted to the Jounin rank!"

Yue gave a silent 'oh' and decided to sit quietly on his seat.

"At first, I seriously thought Tenten-sama would lose on purpose in this match. But now, I really don't know anymore. I don't know what she's planning but I do hope that whatever it is, it'll be for the better." Mifuyu anxiously said as she clasped her hands in a prayer.

* * *

Lee looked at Tenten slightly annoyed as he replayed the way she said the words, _"Never mind. I survived it anyway."_

"You say it as if escaping my Reverse Lotus was so easy."

Tenten dusted herself off and replied nonchalantly without even looking at Lee.

"Yeah. I guess you can say that…"

Lee's eyes grew big along with the rest of the people watching the match. Tenten definitely wasn't one to brag or taunt or mock or anything. This was definitely a whole new side of her.

Neji raised his eyebrow in interest.

"What does she think she's doing?" Kiba asked irritated. "I mean, how in the world can she mock him after what he just showed us?"

Shino narrowed his eyes at Tenten. He didn't get it either.

Sasuke folded his arms on his chest as he gave Tenten a scrutinizing look.

"_What the hell is this woman up to this time?"_

Lee clenched his fists into balls. He raised an accusing finger at Tenten as he yelled. "You take that back! That move was taught to me by none other than Gai-sensei! Insulting it is like insulting Gai-sensei himself!"

Tenten glanced at Lee and gave him a tired look as she waved her right hand in a dismissing manner. "Alright. Alright. Can we just finish this?"

Lee couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. It was like the Tenten in front of him was a whole new person.

"Who are you?" Lee couldn't help but ask.

Tenten smirked. "I… am the victor of this match."

The spectators of the match were silent as they watched Rock Lee's slightly pale face turn into a flaming red one.

"She's adding insult to injury." Shino coolly stated.

"She's seriously pissing me off right now!" Kiba raised a fist at Tenten's figure.

"She's doing it on purpose."

Shino and Kiba glanced at the owner of the voice.

"She's angering him on purpose."

Kiba raised an inquiring eyebrow. "And how can you be so sure, Sasuke?"

Shino nodded in approval. He too wanted to hear Sasuke's answer.

Sasuke simply ignored the two and kept his attention on the battle field.

"This isn't like Tenten." Gai whispered.

Kakashi glanced at the self-proclaimed beautiful green beast of Konoha. He knew he had no say in the matter since he hardly knew the girl. But when he sparred with her the other day, he was sure she would tease him every once in a while but nothing too grave. But then again, her fighting him, a Jounin and a senior, was very different from her fighting Rock Lee, someone her own rank and age. She really didn't seem like the arrogant type but sometimes looks could be deceiving.

"The Tenten I knew was slightly pugnacious and irascible but she was never supercilious." Gai added.

Kakashi gave Gai a surprised look which Gai counteracted with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head as he answered.

"I didn't know you had such a wide vocabulary!"

Gai fell off his seat only to stand up immediately. "Now is not the time to be making those remarks!"

* * *

"What is she doing now?" Griselda asked as she sweat dropped.

"Ruining her reputation?" Yue answered with his hands up in defeat and obliviousness.

"Now I'm sure."

All three pairs of eyes were on the owner of the voice.

"Sure of what?' They chorused.

"Common Lucas, please enlighten us." Yue mocked.

"She's planning to lose." Lucas replied as he folded his arms on his chest and closed his eyes.

"How can you say that?" Mifuyu inquired in doubt.

"It's obvious that those two watermelon peel, father-and-son look-a-likes are very important to Tenten-sama. She would never insult either of them openly, UNLESS she had an ulterior motive." Lucas added.

"So… What you're saying is, she plans to get the green dude angry, make him go all out on her; then she would make everyone believe that she's going all out too, and then the match ends with her losing?" Griselda summarized.

"More or less…" Lucas nodded.

"If she was planning to lose then why didn't she just let herself lose when Rock Lee did his Reverse Lotus on her? That was a perfect way to end the match." Mifuyu said confused.

"That would indeed convince many. But not all." Lucas replied. "The Uchiha Avenger, The Byakugan Prodigy, The Taijutsu Watermelon Peel Senior and the Copy Ninja are a few of those who won't believe her loss. The most pressing of all of them would be with the Uchiha. He watches Tenten-sama's every move – analyzing them, seeing any form of intentional faults. He's like a hawk eyeing its prey. One wrong move and it's over for her."

Mifuyu nodded in understanding.

"I have to hand it to Tenten-sama. She plans really well." Griselda concluded.

All four directed their eyes back to the battle field. Rock Lee seemed to be shouting something at the top of his lungs.

"You're going to regret that!"

Lee got into his fighting stance once more and Tenten got into hers as well.

"How about we let our fists do the talking, ey?" Tenten replied.

Right after she finished speaking, Lee charged at her almost immediately. Even though he used up most of his chakra, he seemed to be even faster than before. Anger was his fuel, driving him to do better.

Tenten slightly smirked. _"That's it. No more holding back."_

Tenten tried her best to keep up with Lee. So far, not a single one of Lee's hits landed on her. However, as the match went on, Lee's movements were getting faster and faster.

Kakashi watched the battle intently.

"_She has to think of something if she wants to win this. Mocking Lee like that out of the blue… What was she thinking?"_

Kakashi narrowed her eyes at Tenten's exhausted form.

"_Or better yet… What IS she thinking?"_

So far, Kakashi has only known of one ninja bold enough to mock an opponent ten, twenty, or even a hundred times much more skilled than him – Naruto. It wasn't that the difference between Lee and Tenten's skills were too far apart. It was just that Lee's stamina and presence in battle were slightly better than Tenten's, or at least, so he thought.

Kakashi shook his head. No, saying that Lee was better than Tenten would be too rash. He knew and he bet he's not the only one who felt that Tenten still wasn't releasing her full potential. As for whether she would release it or not, he wasn't sure as well. There was just something mysterious about her.

"Gai."

Gai glanced at his eternal rival at the sound of his name.

"What is it?"

"Did the Godaime ever explain to you the reason why Tenten left Konoha and why the fifth took her back just like that?"

Kakashi was looking at Gai intently. His gaze was scrutinizing and intimidating especially since his Sharingan eye was out.

Gai shook his head. Come to think of it, he really had no idea what happened to Tenten for the past three years. She disappeared without a reason, without an explanation and she came back in the exact same way as well.

"Did you not even bother to ask her at all about anything?" Kakashi pushed on. There really was something missing. Tenten was hiding something. That much Kakashi knew. But what it was she was hiding, he had absolutely no clue.

Gai glanced back to the arena only to see Lee and Tenten still engrossed in a Taijutsu-dominated battle.

"I wanted to ask her. I really did. I wanted to know everything that happened to her for the past three years. How did she train? Was she lonely? What were the things that she did? Did she ever think about Konoha while she was away?" Gai paused to glance at Kakashi who was looking at him as well.

"And better yet… Did she find herself a boyfriend?"

Kakashi sweat dropped at this as Gai glanced back towards his two students.

"I had all those questions in my head and more. I was itching to ask her all sorts of questions but in a way, I also didn't want to ask her anything. I realized, if she wanted me to know, she would tell me. I don't want to burden her by forcing her to tell me or by showing to her that I seek an explanation for those three years she's been gone. The least I can do as her former sensei is to let her enjoy her first few weeks back here in Konoha, a place I'm sure she considers her home."

Gai paused and smiled at this before he glanced at Kakashi once more. "I figured in the right time, when she's ready, she would eventually explain everything."

Kakashi simply nodded his reply.

"_I guess even Gai can grow up too."_

When Kakashi directed his attention back to the battle, he saw both Tenten and Lee fly backwards after each landed a blow on the other. _"Since, they're more or less equal in speed and taijutsu skills, the winner of this match will be the one who has more stamina to endure this fight."_

Tenten cart wheeled backwards and so did Lee.

"_This is my chance. We're finally drawn apart!"_

Tenten regained her balance and began to form hand seals.

Lee's eyes narrowed as he charged towards her at full speed.

"There's no way I'd make you finish!"

Before Tenten could finish forming the needed seals, Lee managed to land a punch on her face which sent her flying a couple of meters backwards. Her body twisted painfully before her back finally hit the cold stone divider.

Lee was panting as he glanced at Tenten's crumpled form on the floor. He felt a pang of hurt in his heart.

"Aren't they going a bit too overboard?" Kiba asked as he glanced at Shino.

Shino looked at Tenten's form on the ground. "Maybe they both finally realized that this battle will never end if they both keep holding back."

Kiba glanced back at the two teammates fighting ruthlessly on the battle field as he whispered to himself.

"Yeah but, isn't this a little too much? That punch was seriously strong."

This earned him a soft squeak from Akamaru.

"I wonder if she's gonna be alright." Kiba added as he glanced at Akamaru. However, he immediately brought his attention back when he saw Akamaru bark loudly towards the arena.

"What is-?"

Kiba's question was cut short when he saw a pile of mud on the ground where Tenten's body once lay.

"What the-?"

"Looks like this match still isn't over." Shino uttered with a bit of surprise and shock.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. So far, everything that Tenten's shown to them was mediocre. Sure her speed was almost first class but she hasn't shown any techniques that were out of the ordinary. Her taijutsu was also impressive but aside from that, there was nothing else.

"_A handful of ninjas are capable of doing what she's done."_

Sasuke watched as Tenten's form disintegrated into mud.

"_Is there really something more to her? Or am I just overanalyzing…"_

Lee's eyes widened as he watched Tenten's form slowly melt into mud. He immediately assumed his defensive stance and carefully glanced around the arena to see where she was.

"_Come on. Come on! Where are you?!"_

Suddenly, Lee felt the mud beneath his feet move. He immediately cart wheeled towards the part of the battle field which wasn't covered by mud yet.

"_What is she up to this time?!"_

Lee's eyes widened along with the spectators of the match as the real Tenten slowly appeared from the middle of the mud pile. Waves emitted out into the mud from where Tenten stood. As she slowly rose out, she began to form hand seals.

Lee got into his stance once more.

"_Approaching her wouldn't be wise since there's mud all over the place! One wrong move and I'm done for…"_

Kakashi was still watching the match with his Sharingan at full blast.

"_I'm sure this is another joint earth and water technique…"_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"_Creating her own water source, combining both earth and water to create mud, and then performing techniques using both affinities… A crazy amount of chakra is needed for all those."_

Kakashi watched as Tenten finished her hand seals. He had no idea what technique it was that she was planning on using since he never once tried to join his affinities. It required too much chakra and he only had so little.

"_Just how much chakra does that girl have on her?"_

Kakashi's thoughts were cut short and his eyes widened when he heard Tenten state the name of the technique.

"Doton… Doryuudan. (Earth Dragon Missile)"

Before Lee knew it, a giant mud dragon appeared on Tenten's left. The moment it opened its mouth, countless mud missiles erupted from it – all directed at Lee.

To say that the whole stadium was surprised was an understatement. They too shocked to even speak.

Lee tried his best to avoid all missiles by running all over the arena. However, the dragon's face would follow him wherever he went.

"That's…" Gai was in disbelief.

"Another one of the third Hokage's favorite techniques." Kakashi paused. "First Doton Doryuu Taiga (Earth Flow River) is used to create a mud source. Then Doryuudan (Earth Dragon Missile) would follow as an offensive move."

Gai looked at Kakashi.

"But both of those techniques are-"

Kakashi immediately cut Gai off and gave him a knowing glance.

"B in rank. I know."

Gai directed his attention back at the battle field and watched as Lee desperately tried to avoid the missiles.

"Well, if she wants to be promoted into the Jounin rank, she has to at least possess a few Jounin skills, right?" Gai reassured.

Kakashi simply nodded.

"She must have worked really hard to learn it!" Gai added with a hint of pride in his voice.

Kakashi gave Gai a glance only to find him glancing at both his students proudly. Tears were even starting to flow from his eyes. He wasn't suspicious at all.

"_Those skills aren't something you can learn just by working hard Gai."_

Kakashi gave Tenten's form a scrutinizing look.

"_And if my theory is right, after Doton Doryuu Taiga and Doryuudan, then there's one more left…"_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"_Doton Karyuudan (Earth Release: Fire Dragon Missile). If she performs the last, she'll no doubt be promoted to Jounin whether she wins or loses."_

But Kakashi was in doubt.

"_But if she does plan on doing that, she needs to have an affinity for fire as well…"_

Kakashi clenched his fists.

"_So does she?"_

* * *

"She's using an insane amount of chakra… Controlling such an enormous mud patch…" Griselda whispered in disbelief. "Using both earth and water…"

"She'll be drained after this." Yue added.

"If she keeps this up, she'll be drained right then and there." Mifuyu anxiously uttered.

"It's her plan after all." Lucas concluded.

"Her plan?" Yue and Griselda chorused while Mifuyu just glanced at Lucas.

"Like I said, she's planning to lose. But that doesn't mean she isn't planning to be promoted to the Jounin rank."

"Please elaborate." Yue replied exasperatedly as he slumped on his chair and massaged his temples.

"Winning or losing a match isn't the basis for being promoted up a rank. It's the skills you possess that decide on that matter. Even if Tenten-sama loses, if she is able to showcase extraordinary skills that only that of Jounin ranked ninjas are capable of, there will be a huge possibility that she can be made a Jounin."

All four had their eyes on the battle field.

"So she's trying to hit two birds with one stone?" Yue said incredulously.

"Well said." Lucas replied.

"But if she doesn't be careful, her blood limits…" Mifuyu stated as she worriedly glanced at Tenten's figure in the middle of the mud patch.

"That's exactly what I'm worried of." Griselda added.

"She's suppressing them."

All eyes were on Lucas once more.

"She's doing a good job at that. But she's exhausted. She's pushing herself to the limit. By using high rank techniques, she drains her chakra. Her opponent, the taijutsu expert, drains her stamina remarkably. Planning and strategizing drains her mentally. And suppressing her blood limits drains her in all three aspects. It won't be long before the inevitable happens."

"And by inevitable, you mean?" Griselda asked.

"It can either be one of two things. One, she'll fail to suppress her abilities any longer and her blood limits appear for all to see. Or two, she loses the fight by losing consciousness."

"No way…" Yue whispered.

"Let's just hope it's the latter." Lucas concluded.

* * *

Lee did another cart wheel to his right for the umpteenth time.

"_I can't go on like this forever!"_

While Lee was busy with evading, Tenten took out two small scrolls and placed them on the mud.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at this.

"_What is she planning this time?"_

Tenten began forming hand seals once more. The two scrolls slowly disappeared into the mud.

"Doton… Soushouryuu. (Earth Twin Rising Dragons)"

"What?!" Gai yelled incredulously as he stood up from his seat. "She's made her Soushouryuu into an earth technique?!"

Lee stood in awe as he watched the dragon's head on Tenten's right rise up into the air and turn into a dragon with a serpent-like body. A similar creature was situated to Tenten's left as well.

"_This is all or nothing." _Tenten thought as she felt slightly dizzy. She needed to concentrate her chakra on controlling her two mud dragons.

"Get ready Lee." Tenten warned as she formed a single hand seal. "Here it comes."

Lee watched as the dragons opened their mouths and fired mud missiles at him. At first, he thought it was similar to the first dragon but he was wrong. Along with the mud missiles were countless kunais, shurikens and other pointed objects Tenten was so obsessed about.

"_Damn it!"_

Lee barely escaped one mud missile.

"_Close call-"_

Lee's thoughts were cut short when he saw a kunai with an explosive note in the place where the mud missile once hit.

"_Shit!"_

Spectators watched in shock as numerous explosions occurred in the arena. Smoke, dust, pieces of broken rocks and mud were everywhere.

Gai stood from his seat. His eyes were as wide as saucers and couldn't bring himself to speak.

Kakashi tried to locate the two fighters to see if the match has finally been decided.

Neji turned on his Byakugan to see what else was going on in the smoke filled arena. Other proctors kept glancing at Neji hoping that he would at least give them hints on what was happening in the fight.

"This is insane…" Kiba whispered as he clutched the steel rails in front of him. His eyes were wide in shock and disbelief.

Shino was in silent shock. He was really glad he had sunglasses on so no one would see how wide his eyes were right now.

Even Sasuke's indifference shattered. He was looking on at the arena with slight desperation.

"_Is it over?!"_

Sasuke glanced over at Kakashi. He was standing on the cement divider with a serious, calculating face. Suddenly, he looked surprised.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi trying to decipher what his expression meant when all of a sudden, he saw Kakashi sigh then jump backwards into the first aisle of viewers where Gai was.

Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled impatiently. He folded his hands on his chest and glanced back at the arena. The smoke and dust was slowly diminishing.

"It's not yet over."

Shino and Kiba glanced at Sasuke in slight surprise.

Sasuke simply tilted his head towards the arena, telling them to take a look themselves.

Shino and Kiba did as they were told. Their eyes widened in surprise as they saw two silhouettes standing in the midst of the battle field. One of them, however, had chakra flowing out of his/her body at an increasing rate.

"What's happening?!" Kiba inquired in confusion. He had no idea what was going on in the arena.

"Such an insane amount of chakra…" Shino added in disbelief. "Who would have thought that that person…"

"This battle is far from over." Sasuke concluded.

Neji's eyes were slightly wide in shock.

"_Who would have thought this person has actually gone this far."_

When the smoke and dust cleared, the spectators roared and cheered in surprise.

"Hachimon Tonko no Jin (Eight Gates Released Formation)!!!" Lee shouted. His skin was red once more and veins were all over his body and face.

Gai fell back on his seat slowly.

"Lee…"

"Is it alright for him to use that technique twice? Especially with his body in that state…" Kakashi asked as he glanced at Gai's still shocked form.

Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed.

"_When will this match finally end?"_

Kakashi directed his attention back to the battle field.

"_Both seem to have such an unlimited potential… Even I can't predict the outcome of this match anymore."_

"This is the end Tenten!" Lee shouted. He was about to attack but something he saw made him stop.

There, right in front of him was Tenten with her feet still curried in the mud and her eyes closed.

"Why is she closing her eyes?!" Griselda yelled in frustration.

Lucas's nonchalant demeanor was finally broken. His eyes were wide and his hands were balled into fists. He looked like he was ready to storm in the middle of the fight to stop it.

"It can't be…"

"Her eyes!" Mifuyu added as she threw her hands on her mouth.

Tenten concentrated some more.

"_Disappear. Disappear. Disappear."_

She knew it was out. Her Sharingan was out.

She could feel the power in her eyes. She was lucky it appeared simultaneously with the explosion or else she would have kissed her ass goodbye.

Tenten could sense Lee had opened his gates once more. She had to get rid of her eyes if she wanted to finish off her plan smoothly.

"What's with her? Why is she closing her eyes?" Kiba asked irritated.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Something was up.

Even though Lee was slightly disturbed by Tenten's behavior, he knew he had to act fast. He couldn't hold this form for long.

"Whatever it is you're planning, I won't let you succeed."

Lee disappeared from where he stood only to reappear in front of Tenten in the blink of an eye. He was about to attack her but before he could, Tenten clasped the hands together and a thin layer of chakra enveloped her body. This time, her eye brows were furrowed as well.

Lee watched in awe as a huge water column appeared out of no where.

Neji's standoffish demeanor was finally broken. He too was shocked.

"_Since when did she have such a huge chakra reserve?!"_

"She was summoning a water column!" Kiba answered his own question.

"It's huge…" Shino said in disbelief.

Sasuke's eyes were now wide in astonishment.

The once muddy arena was now turned into a lake in less than five seconds.

Kakashi and Gai were in shock.

Kakashi, however, was in greater shock.

"_How in the world can she have such an enormous amount of chakra?!"_

"Suiton! Suishouha! (Water Release: Water Wave)" Tenten yelled as she forcefully opened her eyes to reveal determined hazel orbs.

"It's gone…" Yue whispered. "Her Sharingan is gone…"

All four of them let out a breath they had no idea they were holding.

"I have to hand it to her. She managed to make it look like she closed her eyes to concentrate on summoning a water column." Lucas breathlessly complimented Tenten.

"That just took away ten years off my life." Mifuyu added as she sank further in her chair with her hands covering her face.

Griselda sighed. "Couldn't have said it better."

* * *

Lee struggled desperately against the rising level of water and its current. Finally, he released a strong wave of chakra off his body which cleared a way for him out of the water. He landed ever so gracefully on the cement divider. His eyes were still wide as he met Tenten's determines ones.

Tenten gave Lee a slight smirk which irritated the Taijutsu expert even more.

"_I only have a few more minutes left…" _ Tenten thought as she devised her plan's finale. _"Let's make this ending the best that there is."_

Tenten performed a few more hand seals. As she did, Lee charged towards her. In a split second, he was already behind her.

Lee twisted his body to deliver a roundhouse kick right behind Tenten's head but was cut short by a water wall.

"Suiton. Suijinheki. (Water Release: Water Wall)" Tenten stated casually. "I knew you'd do that."

Lee made a clicking sound with his mouth at the huge water wall that appeared in a split second.

"Let's just see if you can keep up with me."

Lee disappeared once more only to reappear to Tenten's right to give her a punch. Once more, a water wall prevented him from doing so. The same thing happened once more when Lee tried to punch her jaw.

"Is it just me, or is the water imitating the movements of Gaara's sand defense?" Kiba stated.

"True. Though, if I have to say so myself, Tenten's water barriers are much faster." Shino added.

"That's because she can read Lee's movements." Sasuke answered. "She raises the water barrier a few milliseconds before Lee charges his attack."

"But how is she able to do that?" Kiba pushed on.

"By knowing the opponent." Shino answered in Sasuke's place. "Gaara doesn't know Lee so he doesn't have any idea what he might plan on doing. Tenten, on the other hand, seems to know him well."

Kiba glanced at Lee. "I see." Lee was still desperately trying to land a blow on the resident weapons mistress only to fail because of the water walls.

"Not only that. The fact that Lee only uses taijutsu makes it even easier for Tenten to read his moves." Shino added.

"But didn't Lee open his gates? How can she stop his attacks with just a simple water barrier?" Kiba asked some more.

"That's not just water." Sasuke paused. "Look closely. The water she summoned has her chakra mixed with it as well. The water is simply a medium. Her chakra is the one that does all the blocking."

Kiba sniffed a bit and sensed that Sasuke was right. "But that's unheard of! Shouldn't her chakra reserve be drained by now?" Kiba stated incredulously.

"That's what I thought of as well." Shino agreed. "She created her own water source already when she made the mud patch earlier. She used up most of her chakra controlling it and performing various weapon jutsus as well. Add up the strain of fighting Lee, a taijutsu expert, with his gates open, she should not even be able to stand anymore."

Kiba looked from Shino to Tenten. _"Damn. And here I was thinking that fighting girl would be as easy as wining by default."_

Neji narrowed her eyes at Tenten. He never expected her to have such a huge chakra reserve. Three years ago, her chakra wouldn't even reach one tenth of her chakra now. Just how was it that she managed to increase her chakra to that much in just a time frame of three years?

Kakashi was silent. He and Gai still weren't able to get over the shock.

"Ne, Kakashi…" Gai began. "Those two techniques…"

"They were the Nidaime's. (Second Hokage)" Kakashi finished.

"But how could she have…" Gai still couldn't believe it.

"Suiton Suishouha and Suijinheki are both rank B jutsus." Kakashi began. "Maybe she really is of Jounin level already…"

Kakashi watched as Tenten performed several hand seals. His eyes grew big once more when he realized what technique she was planning to do.

"That's-"

Gai snapped his head at Kakashi. "What is it?"

"There's no mistaking it. The order of those hand seals…" Kakashi began. "She's planning to do that A rank technique."

Tenten closed her eyes once more. She was finally finished performing the necessary hand seals and building up what was left of her chakra.

"_This is it. The final move."_

Lee was still consumed with finding a loop hole in Tenten's defense. He knew he was close to breaking through it. Just a little bit faster and he's sure to break it.

Just as Lee was about to break Tenten's water defense, Tenten shouted the name of her last jutsu.

"Suiton! Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Water Release: Grand Waterfall Technique)"

"I knew it." Kakashi stated.

Suddenly, a thick, huge ring of water appeared in front of Tenten. In a split second, a strong water current was shot out of it continuously.

Lee tried to escape from the attack but was still unfortunately hit by it.

Spectators were at their feet.

Gai ran towards the arena and onto the cement divider.

"Lee!!!"

To say that he was worried about Lee and what damage the attack could have possibly done to him was an understatement.

"Daibakufu no Jutsu…" Kakashi began. "…is the ability to create a giant waterfall that is capable of swiping the opponent. A strong current will occur to give the attack more power. Due to its power and water gushing at high rate of speed, the water will trap the opponent under water until the attack is over."

"Will Lee be alright?!" Gai demanded an answer.

"I used this attack once on a very skilled ninja and ended our match." Kakashi paused. "It didn't kill him, but it did render him unconscious." Kakashi assured.

Gai released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"He was an S rank criminal." Kakashi paused to glance at Gai. "His name was Momochi Zabuza."

Gai gave Kakashi a surprised look. "Zabuza?!"

Kakashi glanced from Gai to the arena.

"I don't know how much difference it would be if you did Daibakufu no Jutsu to an S rank criminal and to a Chuunin… but…" Kakahsi paused and almost laughed at Gai's extremely worried expression. "Since he's your student, he's sure to survive."

With that statement, Kakashi jumped off into the water to see if he had to finally make a decision for the match.

Gai simply watched the back of his eternal rival with tears flowing from his eyes.

"_Since he's your student, he's sure to survive."_

"You've finally accepted my awesomeness Kakashi!" Gai said in between sniffs. "After all, great masters do create great students!" With that, Gai gave the spectators around him an eye-blinding grin with a 'thumbs up' to match.

Kakashi slowly walked on the water in search of Lee when all of a sudden, he sensed a strong presence beneath him. He immediately jumped backwards as the water where he once stood exploded and splashed everywhere.

There, in the midst of the water was Lee. He had his back bent forward with his arms dangling freely from his shoulders. His head was hung low and his knees were his only form of support. Since he still had his gates open, his chakra cleared the water away from his body as it created a small crater in the middle of it.

"Lee!!!" Gai yelled as tears flowed from his eyes. He knew Lee was fine. He just knew it.

"N-No way…" Kiba whispered. "He's not human…"

Shino simply fixed his sunglasses. He too was shocked, but this match has shocked him way too much already that he began to get used to it.

Sasuke simply sighed irritated and headed to the back of the waiting room to sit.

"Hey, aren't you gonna watch?" Kiba asked confused but he was given no answer.

He glanced over to Shino who only shrugged his shoulders.

"What's gotten into him?"

Lee raised his head in the air and jumped out of the crater. His muscles were already being torn by the massive amounts of chakra coursing through his body.

Lee landed on the water and flinched in pain.

"_I have to finish this soon."_

"Here I come, Tenten-san!"

Lee disappeared in the blink of an eye and reappeared in front of Tenten. He was about to give her a blow to the face but what he saw made him stop almost immediately.

He managed to stop his punch two centimeters away from Tenten's face. The strength of his punch however, sent a strong gust of wind outwards into the arena.

"Tenten?" Lee glanced at her form.

Tenten was standing in the middle of the water ever so proudly but she wasn't moving. Her hands were just on her sides and didn't make any form of movement as Lee charged towards her. Her eyes were covered by her bangs and her head was slightly hung low.

Suddenly, an intense pain shot through Lee's outstretched arm. He flinched at the pain and before anyone knew it, he was on his knees and his gates were closed once more. His breathing was labored and his eyes were closed.

Kakashi immediately made his way towards the two. He bent down beside Lee to inspect his state.

"Are you alright?"

Lee could only nod his answer.

Kakashi directed his attention from Lee to Tenten. He slowly stood up and inspected the immobile weapons mistress.

"She's unconscious." Kakashi stated in slight bewilderment.

"I thought so too." Lee said in between pants. He glanced up at Kakashi. "I'm glad I was able to stop my punch."

Kakashi nodded.

"_I guess we have a winner."_

Kakashi glanced from Lee's exhausted form to the rest of the arena.

"Match between Rock Lee and Tenten. The winner, Rock Lee!" Kakashi announced.

A mixture of cheers and disappointments were heard from the crowd.

"She lost?" Kiba and Shino chorused. They couldn't believe it. They glanced at each other then they both glanced at Sasuke. He was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed and his arms folded. One could tell that he was annoyed because of the way his eye brows furrowed.

"He knew?" Kiba asked in disbelief as he glanced at Shino.

Kakashi glanced at Tenten. "Well, we better get her to the hospital as soon-"

Kakashi's sentence was cut short when he glanced at Lee only to see him unconscious.

Medics began to rush towards the two fighters to bring them to the hospital.

"_If I had come a few seconds later, this match would have been a draw…"_ Kakashi thought as he sighed.

"Tenten-sama!" Mifuyu yelled as she watched Tenten being carried away in a stretcher.

"She lost…" Griselda whispered.

"Just like she planned…?" Yue stated slightly unsure.

"Just like she planned." Lucas assured. "She lost gracefully though."

"Gracefully?" Mifuyu asked.

"She may have lost the match. But she did not lose to anyone." Lucas added as he stood up from his seat.

"What do you mean by- Where are you going?" Griselda cut herself off.

"To Tenten-sama of course."

Yue began to stand as well.

"I'm coming with."

"Me too."

* * *

Naruto walked back and forth outside the operating room. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Why the heck is it taking so long?!"

He checked the clocked once more just like what he did eight seconds ago.

"They've been in there for two hours already!"

Suddenly, a nurse came out of the emergency room.

"O-Oi! Excuse me!" Naruto called.

"Oh, are you Miss Haruno's friend?" The nurse politely asked.

"Yes! Yes I am. How is she?"

The nurse smiled at Naruto's panicking form.

"She's fine. The operation was a success."

Naruto released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Can I go see her?"

The nurse shook her head.

"I'm afraid the Godaime ordered that no visitors be allowed to see her yet. She needs to rest some more to speed up her recovery."

Naruto frowned a bit but then smiled at the nurse as he scratched the back of his head.

"Is that so? Well, then, it's alright. Thank you so much for your hard work!"

The nurse smiled at Naruto and gave him a curt nod before she left.

Naruto immediately snapped his head back when the doors of the emergency room opened once more. This time, it was Shizune who stepped out.

"Oh, Naruto. You waited here the whole time?"

Naruto simply nodded.

"Well, Sakura's doing fine now. It was nothing too serious." Shizune assured.

Naruto gave her a smile.

"I know. And I'm glad."

"The things people do for love huh?" Shizune stated as she elbowed Naruto.

Naruto's face turned beat red as he stuttered his reply.

"I-I don't know what you're saying!"

Shizune gave him a sheepish smile.

"Yeah. Yeah. Young love… You know-"

Shizune was about to give Naruto some love advice when a medic called her attention.

"Shizune-san, here are the results of the analysis for the paralyzing agent."

Shizune took the paper handed out to her and scanned it.

"Paralyzing agent?" Naruto asked in shock.

"Yes. Turns out the poison Shikamaru acquired was a masking agent for a paralysis drug." Shizune explained.

"What?! Is he gonna be alright then?!" Naruto asked anxiously.

"We don't know yet." Shizune replied and turned her attention from the paper to the medic. "How's the progress?"

"So far we've been able to identify most of its properties but there is one we can't figure out. As soon as we do, we can administer a cure for it immediately."

"I see… I'll make sure Tsunade-sama reads this." Shizune paused as she brought the paper to her side. "She'll help out the moment-"

"EMERGENCY!"

All three directed their attention towards the rushing medics carrying two unconscious patients on stretchers.

"Fuzzy Brows?! Tenten-chan!?" Naruto yelled in shock. "What happened?!

"Save the details for later!" Shizune ordered. "Bring them in quickly!"

Before Naruto could say another word, Shizune directed the medics into the operating room.

Naruto could only stand in silence.

* * *

SO! that's it...Thank you so much for reading... So sorry AGAIN for the late update!

So Tenten lost... So sad... hehehe... I really WAS planning to make her lose this fight from the very beginning...:D... Just saying it honestly. So there. She lost, Sasuke's pissed, Lee's unconscious, Sakura's surgery was a success, Shikamaru's slowly getting paralyzed...blahblabhblah...Everything will be explained in the next chapters.

Just so everyone knows, I'll be skipping the rest of the Jounin exams since Tenten's no longer going to participate in them, okay? The next chapter will be situated after the exams. Whether Tenten passed or failed, you'll have to find out on the next chapter. Also, the list of the passers will be given on the next chapter (which I am PLANNING to start right after I post this chapter).

So, was it crappy? Shitty? Not worth the wait?

Well, if YES then sorry once more.

I'll do better in the next chapters!

AND to all my readers who are **SASUTEN** fans, I just want to tell you of the SasuTen story I wrote before. It's entitled **Just for Tonight**. Well, just saying..:)..Read it if you have time!

I love you all and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support you've been giving to this story.

P.S. Please don't hate me!

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	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Madara appears  
**

Tenten slowly opened her eyes.

White.

Everything was white.

Tenten flinched as she raised the back of her right hand to slightly cover her eyes. They were still adjusting to the light.

"_Where am I?"  
_

Tenten closed her eyes and blinked a couple of times, hoping that would clear her vision up. It helped a little but everything was still blurry.

"_Why is everything so white?"_

Tenten slowly sat up. She grimaced slightly as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her body. She let out a soft growl as she rubbed her eyes.

Her vision was still hazy but she was now able to make out her surroundings a little bit. She glanced at the room from left to right taking in every detail as best as she could.

When she directed her attention to the right of the room, there, by the window sill was a woman in white with long flowing black hair. She seemed to be fixing a few flowers on a vase.

"A nurse…" She whispered softly.

Tenten blinked some more and watched as the nurse turned to look at her. Suddenly, a she felt light headed. She clutched her head and gave a soft yelp.

The nurse immediately came to her side with a glass of water and a small black pill.

"Take this." She ordered.

Tenten scrunched her eye brows when she heard the nurse speak. There was something about her voice, but Tenten couldn't put her finger on it. Was something wrong with her ears too?

"They're painkillers." The nurse explained.

There it was again. That voice.

Tenten shook the thoughts out of her head. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Or maybe this nurse just really had a dark, sort of rich, husky, baritone voice.

Tenten decided to ignore her thoughts and nodded as she slowly moved her hands to reach for the pill.

"_Or maybe there really is just something wrong with my ears."_

She popped it in her mouth and reached for the glass of water. The nurse handed it to her and she held it ever so carefully with both her hands.

Tenten growled in her mind as she struggled to steady the glass of water. With her strength still gone, holding that single glass of water felt like carrying a giant boulder about ten feet in diameter.

Tenten mustered up all her strength to raise the glass up to her lips. She hastily drank as much water as she could before her arms gave up. She then let out a sigh.

"Thanks Ms. Nurse…" She said as she turned towards the nurse to give her a smile.

Tenten's smile slowly faded as her cloudy vision finally cleared.

Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she realized who her 'nurse' really was.

"N-Neji!"

"Hn."

Tenten was so surprise that she accidentally dropped the glass of water on the bed.

"Ah!"

Tenten immediately took the glass with her hands to prevent it from spilling even more water on the hospital bed and floor.

Tenten slowly glanced towards her 'nurse' to give him a nervous, apologetic smile. She would have laughed out loud at the situation they were in if it weren't for the fact that Neji's right eye was twitching in irritation.

"I… I'm so sorry! It's just that my vision-" Tenten began to explain but Neji cut her off.

"You don't have to. I know what you mean."

Neji took the glass out of her hands and placed it on the bed's side table.

Tenten looked away in embarrassment. She couldn't look at him in the eyes and she didn't know why. She never expected that Neji would be the first person she'd see after waking up.

Tenten glanced back at the Hyuga genius secretly. She silently watched him as he tried his best to clean the mess she just made.

He looked so different now. He was taller, leaner yet more muscular. His face was more defined and his silky black hair was longer. His skin was still as fair and flawless as ever and his eyes were still as cold, emotionless and piercing as they were three years ago.

Neji noticed her staring. He paused from cleaning and turned his head towards her.

Tenten's heart skipped a beat. His face was emotionless but that was still enough to make her blush slightly. Tenten immediately looked away and pretended she was having a headache.

Neji simply ignored her and went back to cleaning.

Tenten watched Neji from the corner of her eyes. She didn't get it. Why was he here giving her medicine and cleaning up for her? Didn't he hate her? Didn't he NOT want to see her again?

Tenten's thoughts were cut short when she saw Neji finish cleaning up. He glanced at her only to see her still massaging her temples.

"Try not to make a mess." He ordered casually, with a hint of exhaustion in his tone.

Tenten tilted her head to one side in a nod to acknowledge Neji's statement. She was still too embarrassed to speak, let alone look him in the eyes.

Neji gave her one final look and with that, he turned to leave.

Tenten looked at his retreating back incredulously.

"_He's leaving?"_

Tenten didn't know what to do to stop him. She still wanted to talk to him – ask him how he's been for the past three years. What was he doing in her hospital room? And wasn't he supposed to be mad at her? It didn't make any sense.

Tenten tried to stall. Maybe making small talk would be a great start.

"H-How long was I out?"

Neji still didn't stop heading for the door as he answered.

"Three days. The exams ended two days ago."

'Oh' was all that Tenten could say. She wanted to ask more questions like, was she promoted to Jounin? Who won the Jounin exams? What did she miss for the past three days when she was unconscious? But Neji didn't seem to want to answer anymore. He was half way to the door when she decided to give 'small talk' another chance.

"Um, how's Lee?"

Neji stopped just a few inches away from the door.

"He's recovering. Nothing too serious."

"I see… That's good." Tenten whispered as she kept her gaze on Neji's retreating back.

She wanted him to stay for a little bit longer but she didn't know how.

Tenten frantically looked around the hospital room to find an excuse to talk to him some more. That's when Tenten's eyes fell on the beautiful Tiger Lilies placed ever so carefully on a white glass vase by the window sill.

Neji already had his hands on the door knob when he suddenly heard Tenten speak once more.

"T-Those Tiger Lilies..." Tenten nervously began. She watched him stiffen slightly.

Tenten bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she should ask him or not. But hey, since they were for her, she had the right to know, right?

"D-Did you-?" Tenten hesitantly tried to continue when Neji cut her off.

"They're from Lee." Neji paused as he slightly tilted his head to the side but he didn't look at her.

"He's bedridden. He asked me to give you those. The fruits were from him as well."

Tenten glanced at the basket of fruits placed on a table on the side of her bed. She could only give a soft 'oh' once more.

With that Neji left the room.

Tenten looked at the Tiger Lilies with a mixture of joy and regret. She was happy Lee thought of her even though he was still confined in bed. But she was slightly depressed that Neji wasn't the one who got them for her. Or better yet, that he didn't even get her anything at all.

Tenten slowly lay back down in bed.

"Hey… At least he went to see you, right?" She whispered to herself as she sighed.

Tenten scrunched her eye brows. Why was it that whenever she saw Neji, nothing seemed to go right? There was just no consistency with him. One moment, she wanted to rip his head off. Then the next moment, she would feel so uneasy and nervous in his presence. And then in another, she wanted him to stay with her and talk to her. It just made no sense to her.

What did _she_ really want from _him_? And what did _he_ really want from _her_?

Tenten turned to her side and folded her arms in front of her chest. She couldn't help but moan in pain as she did. Her body still hasn't recovered that well. Every single movement only resulted in pain. But it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Tenten sighed. Before she knew it, she was deep in thought again. She began to wonder if there would ever be a day wherein her relationship with Neji would finally be okay – a day wherein they can finally talk and laugh together, a day wherein they can finally be called _friends_.

Tenten smiled at this. That would be nice.

Tenten sighed once more as her eyes fell on the Tiger Lilies yet again. They were so beautiful. They gave off such a wonderful aura of pride and strength – two things Tenten still strived to earn. That's when a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Did Lee tell Neji to get her Tiger Lilies or did he pick them himself?

Tenten closed her eyes. There was no point in thinking of those now. She'll just have to wait till she sees Lee before she gets some answers.

Tenten turned in the bed once more to glance at the ceiling, flinching in pain every once in a while. Her thoughts about Lee immediately directed her back to the Jounin exams.

Who won in their fight? Was it her? Was it Lee? Or was it a tie?

She couldn't remember much about the latter parts of her match with him. The last part of her memory regarding the match was the part where her Sharingan came out. After that, there was nothing.

Tenten paused to think.

Water.

Yes, she remembered water all around her. That was right. She summoned a water column. And then… What happened?

Tenten groaned as she massaged her aching temples. All that thinking was giving her a headache

* * *

Neji stepped out of Tenten's hospital room and closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but lean on it for a while as he let out a sigh.

He didn't expect Tenten to actually wake up while he came for a visit. Of all times, why did she have to wake up _now_ anyway?

Neji made a clicking sound with his tongue as he pushed himself off the door and made his way out of the hospital.

He was caught. And what was worse, Tenten herself caught him. He just knew visiting her was a completely bad idea. And to think that this was just his first visit to her and he was already caught.

Neji glanced at the sky. It was just a few minutes right after dawn. This was the only available time for him to see her without letting anyone know. Unfortunately, he didn't take into consideration the possibility that the patient herself could catch him.

Neji groaned.

After she had been placed to the hospital, visiting her was almost impossible. One because she was always guarded by those four odd-looking people; and two, because his pride would never allow himself to do so.

"_This is all Lee's fault."_ Neji thought as he angrily kicked a rock out of his way.

If he hadn't asked Neji to give Tenten that basket of fruits, then he never would have gotten the idea of buying her Tiger Lilies. Seriously. What was he thinking?

* * *

(Flashback)

"Come on Neji! Please buy me a basket of fruits! I need to give them to Tenten as a peace offering!"

Neji simply narrowed his eyes at Lee.

"You're not required to give her a peace offering. That was a match. You _had_ to fight her. End of story."

"But NE-JI!" Lee was starting to whine.

Neji tried his best to ignore him. His right eye was practically twitching due to irritation. If Lee wasn't in such a sorry state right now, he would have closed all his tenketsus to shut him up.

"Come on Neji! Please? Please oh please oh please oh please? With a cherry on top?"

Neji wanted to leave Lee right then and there to avoid his whining but Gai had asked him to watch over his cute little descendant until after he finishes his meeting with the Hokage.

Neji, at first, declined but it was Gai's annoyingly long speech about teamwork and friendship that got him to finally say yes – anything to make Gai stop his rambling.

After a whole hour of Lee's whining, Neji finally gave up. One could only take so much.

"Fine." Neji forcefully replied. His Byakugan was so close to being activated. The veins near his eyes were throbbing.

"OH thank you so much Neji! Here's the name and location of the store and the money. Make sure you give it to her immediately, right after you buy it! Fresh fruits are always the best for recovering people!"

Lee enthusiastically raised his right hand to give a 'good guy pose' but the pain that shot through his arm changed his facial expression from a grin to a constipated look.

"Why don't you just ask Gai to buy you your fruits?" Neji complained as he took the piece of paper with the shop's name and location, together with the money. Since Neji and Gai were both Jounins and already of equal rank, Gai had told Neji to remove the honorific 'sensei' after his name whenever he would refer to him.

Lee gave him a shocked look.

"I can't ask Gai-sensei to run an errand for me! That's just… Just… So wrong! It's disrespect! It's-"

"I get it." Neji cut him off. He didn't want Lee to begin rambling and whining again because he was sure he'd forcefully shut him up this time.

"Thanks a lot Neji! I owe you!"

Lee practically had tears in his eyes.

Neji simply sighed.

"Hn."

(End of Flashback)

* * *

And that was how it happened. Neji ended up running an errand for Lee.

He knew he should have declined the offer. Why did he allow himself to succumb to Lee's annoying whining?

Neji placed his hands in his pockets.

The one thing that was bothering him the most was, why… Why did he buy Tenten Tiger Lilies?

Was it just because the flower shop seduced him into doing so?

"_Come to think of it, the flower shop was right in front of the fruit store…Wait a minute… Did Lee?"_

Neji stopped on his tracks. Did Lee plan this?

Neji narrowed his eyes. Could Lee have guessed that Neji would be tempted to buy Tenten flowers if the flower shop was already staring him _right_ at his face?"

Neji shook his head.

It couldn't be.

* * *

Shinkamaru opened his eyes but saw nothing.

Black.

Everything was black.

He blinked a couple more times before fully opening his eyes once more.

Still, everything was black.

"What's wrong with the lights?" He whispered with an exhausted tone.

"S-Shikamaru… You're awake."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the sound of the voice.

"Ino?"

"Yes, it's me…" Ino replied as she placed a hand over Shikamaru's to tell him she was there.

"What's with the lights? Can't you turn them on?" Shikamaru complained as he felt Ino tighten her grip on his hand.

"Shikamaru…" She began. She couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She had no idea how to break the news to him.

Shikamaru was surprised to hear Ino's slightly quivering voice.

"O-Oi! What is it, Ino?" He paused worried. "If there's something wrong with the lights then-"

Ino cut him off.

"It's not that…" She whispered still crying. She bent down and placed her forehead on his arm.

With her position right now, Shikamaru guessed she was sitting on a chair beside him.

"Then what is it?" Shikamaru softly asked. He was really starting to worry. "Why are you crying?"

"Shikamaru…" A voice whispered.

Shikamaru turned his head towards the sound. It seemed to come from the end of the room.

"Chouji?"

He too sounded like he was crying.

"What's wrong you two?"

Chouji bowed his head down and wiped the tears that were furiously running down his eyes. He had his back to a wall located right in front of Shikamaru's bed.

Chouji raised his head and glanced at Shikamaru once more. How could he possibly tell his best friend?

Ino was so close to going berserk. Her crying was getting louder and her tears were flowing faster.

Shikamaru turned towards Ino when he felt the sleeve of his shirt slowly drenching up.

"What the hell is going on?" Shikamaru started to get impatient. He blinked several times to try to get even just an outline of his surroundings to no avail "And why can't I see a thing?"

The moment those words left his lips, Ino and Chouji's crying stopped.

"What?" Shikamaru inquire once more. He was getting irritated that none of them were explaining anything to him.

After a few seconds, Ino's tears were back, which were quickly followed by Chouji's. They both cried once more.

"Guys!" Shikamaru yelled exasperatedly.

"Shikamaru…" Chouji began as he spoke in between sniffs. "The… The truth is…"

Before Chouji could tell him anything, Shikamaru heard a door open and then close. He felt Ino's head off his arm and her hand off his as well. She seemed to have stood up.

"Godaime-sama…" They both chorused in between sniffs.

"Godaime-sama?" Shikamaru whispered unsurely as he narrowed his eyes. He tried his best to make out even just a silhouette of the Fifth but there was nothing. Wherever he looked, there was only black.

It just took Tsunade one glance at the situation to know exactly what was going on.

"I see."

Tsunade glanced at Ino and then at Chouji and nodded her head. "I'll handle things here."

Ino and Chouji bowed their heads in thanks. They both really didn't have the heart to tell Shikamaru.

"_It's the least I can do…"_ Tsunade thought as she watched them leave.

Tsunade's attention went back to Shikamaru when she heard him speak.

"So, will you finally explain what's going on?"

Tsunade let out a sigh.

"Remember the paralyzing agent you acquired?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"What about it?"

"We've successfully taken it out of your body. But…" Tsunade trailed.

"But what?" Shikamaru demanded, a little unsure if he wanted to hear the rest of what Tsunade had to say. But whether he did want to hear it or not, he knew one thing – he HAD to hear it.

"But there was an unknown substance it in that we had no knowledge of. A-And … And this substance…" Tsunade paused, still not knowing how to break the news to the Nara genius.

"This substance… Affected your eye sight…"

Shikamaru's eyes brew big.

"W-What do you mean?" He whispered in disbelief. He knew exactly what Tsunade meant but he didn't want to believe it.

"Shikamaru…" Tsunade paused. A hint of regret was evident in her voice.

Tsunade closed her eyes as she bowed her head.

"You're blind."

* * *

Sakura paused from reading a book when she heard a knock on her door. Her heartbeat quickened. _"Could it be?"_

Another knock was heard.

Sakura cleared her voice as she combed her hair with her hands.

"Come in."

She watched as the door slowly opened to reveal her visitor.

"_Please let it be…"_

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

"_It's not him…" _Sakura's face slightly fell but she immediately masked it with a smile.

"N-Naruto… It's you again."

Naruto simply smiled at her as he raised the basket of fruits he was holding.

"Yup! It's me again! I brought you fruits this time!" He said cheerfully as he made his way to a table near the window.

"We have to make sure you eat healthy stuff so you can recover quickly." He continued as he took an orange and began to peel it.

"You really don't have to come here everyday Naruto." Sakura replied as she gave him a slightly worried glance. "And you don't have to bring me anything either."

Naruto simply smiled at her.

"Don't worry, I don't mind at all."

"But…" Sakura wanted to protest. She didn't really want Naruto to keep buying her flowers and food whenever he came. She was really just fine.

"No buts Sakura-chan!" Naruto said as he finished peeling an orange. "And besides, I like visiting you." Naruto blushed slightly.

"Thanks…" Sakura replied with a slight smile. "Well… We are friends after all…"

Naruto's smile slowly faded. "Y-Yeah! I mean, what are friends for right?" Naruto faked a smile as he made his way to Sakura.

"Here. Eat this." He handed her the orange he had peeled.

Sakura gave him an incredulous look.

"I'm not eating that!"

Naruto's eyes popped.

"Huh? Why not?"

Sakura pointed at the orange.

"You touched it with you bare hands! You didn't even wash! Who knows what else you touched before you peeled that orange!"

Naruto looked at Sakura in disbelief.

"B-but! My hands are clean!" He even went as far as showing them off to Sakura to prove his point.

"How should I know?" Sakura replied stubbornly.

Naruto pouted at Sakura.

"B-But, I peeled this for you…"

Sakura looked at Naruto's pleading form as she let out a sigh. She would NOT give in.

"J-Just get me another orange! I'll peel one for myself."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

Sakura folded her arms in front of her chest and closed her eyes to avoid seeing Naruto beg.

"I mean it Naruto." She stated firmly.

Naruto's head fell. "O-Oh… Alright…"

Naruto headed back to the fruit basket to get Sakura an unpeeled orange. He made his way back and placed the orange beside Sakura.

"Here."

Sakura opened her eyes and located the orange.

"Thanks."

Naruto pulled out a chair near the bed and sat on it. He slowly began to eat his orange in silence.

Sakura began to peel her orange with a few occasional glances at Naruto. He looked depressed.

Sakura sighed. He could seriously act like a child sometimes.

Sakura cleared her throat.

"Congratulations in winning the Jounin exams…"

Naruto raised his head up to her and nodded only to fall into further depression.

Sakura sweat dropped. Maybe asking about the exams wasn't such a good idea to lift Naruto's spirits up. He did become the winner of the exam but most of his wins were by default. And above all that, he wasn't able to have his dream match with Sasuke.

Sakura paused from peeling her orange.

"_I wonder why Sasuke-kun didn't show up…"_

Sakura continued to peel her orange.

"Thanks for beating up the guy I fought with." Sakura said as she smiled at Naruto.

This managed to brighten Naruto's spirits slightly.

"You're welcome! You should've seen what I did to him!" Naruto bragged as he began relaying to her the details of his match with Shinomori Saito.

Sakura simply smiled. It was really quite easy to cheer him up. Honestly, sometimes he was just too simple-minded. But then again, that was the good thing about Naruto – no complicated crap. It was just the plain 'what you see is what you get' stuff. If only all things were that simple, no one would have to worry about anything at all.

Sakura finished peeling her orange and began to eat it. She glanced once more at her ramen-loving teammate. She wanted to ask him about Sasuke and other details of the exam but she figured he wasn't ready to talk about them yet. It was too much of a blow on his ego. He needed time.

"S-So… What have you been up to lately?"

Naruto glanced at Sakura.

"Nothing much… I was thinking of doing some training but Kakashi-sensei said I should put it off for a week. He said he was too exhausted proctoring for the exams so he couldn't help me. But I bet he's just reading that perverted book of his again!" Naruto finished as he pouted.

"Couldn't have said it better…" Sakura said as she gave Naruto a knowing look.

Naruto's expression suddenly changed from being slightly pissed into a nostalgic one.

"I visited Ero-sennin's grave yesterday…" Naruto paused.

Sakura gave Naruto a sad look.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan!" Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. "It's been six months since his death now and… I guess I kind of didn't feel that it's been that long."

Naruto stood up from his chair after he finished what was left of his orange. He glanced out the window and sighed.

"He died for the village. He protected everyone. I'll never forget him and all the people who risked their lives trying to save the village."

Naruto bowed his head and his lips formed into a slight smile.

"It's because of their efforts that we are still able to enjoy the lives we have today."

Sakura bowed her head as well. Many have died for the village – TOO many, in fact. It was just sad and touching at the same time that those people really have chosen the village over their own lives. Why couldn't there have been a better, more peaceful way of solving things? Why did lives always have to be sacrificed?

"Akatsuki…" Sakura began. "Akatsuki is gone now. It's all thanks to the efforts of all the shinobi who fought for the village."

Naruto turned his head to glance at a slightly smiling Sakura.

"You're right. We enjoy the life we have today because of their sacrifices." Sakura paused as she raised her head to look at Naruto. "I guess we have to make sure we do the same too."

Naruto gave Sakura a smile and nodded.

(AN: To those who forgot, this story is situated between three years to four years into the future. Sasuke's back in the village because Itachi is dead and as for Jiraiya's death, it follows the manga. Pain killed him in his story too. If I spoiled you guys, sorry! I won't discuss how Akatsuki failed and disbanded. It would take too long. They just did ok?)

* * *

"A nurse informed me that she had already woken up this morning."

"That's good then."

"Stop eating that! That's for Tenten-sama!"

"I'm just taking one!"

"You pig! Don't touch those!"

"Quiet both of you!"

Tenten scrunched her eyebrows at the noise she was hearing. She turned her head to the right and massaged her temples with her right hand.

"See! You woke her up!"

"No I didn't! You did!"

"How dare you put the blame on me? You were practically eating all of Tenten-sama's food!"

"ONE piece! I just took ONE piece!"

Tenten make a clicking sound with her tongue. That alone was enough to silence all of the idiots who were messing up her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes to glance at her unruly visitors. She knew who they were, of course, but she wanted to at least send them a spine-chilling glare.

"Why are you guys so noisy? Can't you see I'm sleeping?" Tenten groggily scolded them.

"It wasn't me! Yue was eating all the food-" Griselda began but Yue immediately cut her off.

"I just took ONE piece of tempura! One FREAKING piece!"

Before Tenten could tell them both to shut up, Lucas did it for her.

"That's enough."

Tenten sighed. It was finally quiet again. "Thank you, Lucas."

"How do you feel?" Mifuyu asked as she sat on Tenten's bed side.

"I've had better days. But it's not so bad." Tenten replied as she stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, she remembered something that made her blood rush.

Tenten immediately sat up only to have her head spin slightly. She clutched her head as Mifuyu supported her.

"You shouldn't exert yourself too much." Yue worriedly said.

Tenten glanced at the window sill to see if they were still there.

All four directed their attention towards the direction where Tenten looked at.

"Tiger Lilies?" Griselda stated in slight confusion as she looked at Tenten.

Tenten sighed in relief. They were still there.

"_It wasn't a dream."_ She smiled.

"What about them?" Yue asked.

Tenten just smiled at him.

"Oh nothing! I thought I had a dream. Never mind…"

Yue only shrugged. "If you say so…"

"Ah!" Tenten yelped.

"What is it? Are you hurting somewhere?" Mifuyu panicked as she inspected her body.

"No! No… I'm fine! I just remembered something I wanted to ask you guys." Tenten gave her a sheepish smile.

Mifuyu let out a sigh as she took out a small glass container with water in it.

"You know, I could heal you right now and make all your injuries-"

"NO!" Tenten and Lucas simultaneously cut Mifuyu off.

"You can't!" Tenten added.

"Why not?" Yue asked confused.

"Just imagine if she suddenly fully recovers in the blink of an eye? What would the medics say?" Lucas answered.

"Oh…" Mifuyu and Yue chorused as Mifuyu kept the bottle back in her pocket.

"The thing I wanted to ask you…" Tenten paused as she glanced at all four of them. "What happened in the exams after I fainted?"

"Well, for one, the Rock Lee guy won your match." Griselda answered.

Tenten's eyes slight grew big in surprise. "Oh… And then what happened?"

"He fell unconscious a few seconds after the winner of the match was announced." Yue replied this time.

"Really?" Tenten paused to look at Yue. This earned her a nod.

"He's confined in this hospital too. His condition was pretty bad since he used that technique of his for too long. But I guess the Godaime was able to fix him up." Yue added.

Tenten smiled proudly.

"That's the Godaime for you…"

Tsunade wasn't Tenten's idol for nothing, of course.

"And what about the next matches?" Tenten pushed on.

"That was the weird part…" Mifuyu began.

"What do you mean weird part?"

Mifuyu glanced at the other three to see if they wanted to tell Tenten the rest of the story only to be met by glances that told her 'you say it'.

"Well, you see, Uchiha Sasuke disappeared right after your match."

"What?" Tenten stated in disbelief.

Mifuyu nodded.

"He forfeited his match."

"Why?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"That we have no idea." Griselda answered.

Tenten couldn't believe it. Sasuke forfeited?

"_What the hell is his problem?"_

"The last two fights of the elimination round were pretty boring. The boy with a giant dog and the bug boy won. They were the ones who fought in the semi-finals. Now that was quite an interesting match to watch." Yue finished.

"Kiba and Shino?" Tenten paused. "They fought too? Who won?"

"That was the interesting part. It was a draw." Yue answered.

"They both ran out of chakra when they neared the end of the fight so they resulted to a taijutsu dominated battle." Griselda began. "After that, they both landed a hit on each other simultaneously and they were sent flying towards opposite directions. None of them stood after that. They were both out cold."

"Oh… So that means they were both eliminated?" Tenten asked.

Griselda nodded.

"Wait." Tenten ordered as she massaged her head once more. "I can't remember the fighters in the match anymore. Give me a moment."

Lucas immediately took out a paper and gave it to Tenten. In it were the respective matches and their winners.

"Woah…" Yue sweat dropped. He didn't see that one coming.

"Uh… Thanks?" Tenten said as she sweat dropped too.

"I figured you'd ask for it." Lucas shrugged.

Tenten scanned the list.

* * *

Elimination Round:

1. Uzumaki Naruto (A) vs. Nara Shikamaru (B) (unable to fight)

2. Chuichirou Nogi (C) vs. Natsume Hajime (D) – both unable to fight

3. Shinomori Saito (E) vs. Haruno Sakura (F)

4. Tenten (G) vs. Rock Lee (H)

5. Seijirou Yamamoto (I) vs. Uchiha Sasuke (J) (unable to fight)

6. Todou Aoi (K) vs. Narumi Tsukino (L)

7. Inuzuka Kiba (M) vs. Minamito Sano (N)

8. Aburame Shino (O) vs. Sumire Tobita (P)

Preliminary Round:

1. Uzumaki Naruto vs. No fighter

2. Shinomori Saito vs. Rock Lee (unable to fight)

3. Seijirou Yamamoto vs. Todou Aoi

4. Inizuka Kiba vs. Aburame Shino – DRAW

Semi-Finals

1. Uzumaki Naruto vs. Shinomori Saito

2. Seijirou Yamamoto vs. No fighter

Finals:

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Seijirou Yamamoto

Winner: Uzumaki Naruto

* * *

Tenten finished reading the list. She raised her head and smiled at her senseis.

"I have to remember to give Naruto my congratulations when I see him!"

Tenten placed the piece of paper on the bed's side table.

"Well, now that you have answers, time for you to eat!" Mifuyu exclaimed.

Before Tenten knew it, she was being bombarded with food by three equally impatient people.

"You have to try this!"

"Eat this! It's really good! It's healthy too!"

"Now, now Tenten-sama, you have to eat to get better!"

Tenten gave Lucas a look that screamed 'help me!' but the moment she did, she saw Lucas raise an apple at her.

"I think you should eat this." He began. His expression showed that he was very deep in thought. His eye brows were even scrunched. "I heard people say that an apple a day would keep the doctor away…"

Tenten looked at him incredulously. At first she thought it was a joke but when she saw Lucas's face, it told her otherwise.

"_He can't be serious…"_

The fiasco was getting out of hand when suddenly a loud cough was heard.

All five of them directed there attention towards a petite nurse by the door.

"Excuse me madams and sirs but visiting hours are over. So if you don't mind, please exit the room. The patient needs to rest now."

"Really?" Griselda glanced at the clock. It was already four thirty and visiting hours were only supposed to be till four.

"We understand." Lucas bowed.

"_Ah so handsome!" _The nurse blushed as she stuttered her reply.

"U-Um, t-thank you for your cooperation…"

Yue raised an eye brow at this and shook his head. "Honestly…"

Mifuyu and Griselda began to clean up.

"We'll leave the food here okay? Just take one whenever you're hungry. If you have difficulty standing, call for a nurse alright?" Mifuyu began.

Tenten simply nodded.

"_She's like a mother sometimes."_

"And then here's the trash can. Some tissues are by the side table if you need to blow your nose. Your medicines are by the side table as well. I've written a note in your medicine box to tell you what medicine to take and when to take them. The water is right beside the medicine box as well."

Tenten sweat dropped. She really was like a mother!

"Alright. Alright. Stop nagging her Mimi… Or should it be Mama?" Griselda teased.

Yue laughed at this but immediately stopped when he got a death glare from Mifuyu. He raised his hands up in surrender.

"I just want to make sure she'll be fine." Mifuyu defended.

"She'll be fine." Lucas assured.

A cough was heard again. It was still from the same petite nurse by the door.

"Um, sorry but you really have to go…"

Yue elbowed Lucas and whispered to him.

"Hey, use your charms to make her allow us to stay longer!"

Lucas simply raised his eye brow at him as if saying 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Yue gave him a tired look.

"How in the world can you be so clueless?"

"Let's go." Griselda stated as she headed for the door. Yue followed.

Mifuyu was still leaving Tenten a few more reminders. Lucas had to practically drag her out to make her stop.

"Don't worry guys! I'll be fine! Promise! Take care!" Tenten yelled. With that, the door closed and she was alone again.

Tenten sighed. They sure were a handful. But she never would have made it this far if it weren't for any of them. She loved them so much. They were like family to her.

Tenten slowly lay back down on the bed. Her gaze fell on the piece of paper holding the results of the Jounin exams. That was when a thought crossed her mind. Why didn't she remember this earlier?

Tenten immediately sat up.

"Damn it! I forgot to ask them if I was promoted to Jounin or not!"

Tenten fell back down on the bed as she let out a frustrated growl. How could she have forgotten?

Tenten massaged her temples.

"_Well, it's not like they would know, right? The person I should be asking regarding that matter is Gai-sensei."_

Tenten sighed as her gaze fell on the Tiger Lilies once more. The light emitted by the setting sun gave them an even more unearthly glow.

Tenten slowly got out of bed, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. She made her way towards the lilies. She just had to feel them between her fingers.

When she finally reached them, she cupped the petals ever so gently with her hands, frightened that her touch could ruin their beauty.

There was something about those flowers that reminded her of Neji.

Pride and strength.

Those two words suited him very well.

Tenten sighed as she continued to stare at the lilies. The warm, late afternoon breeze blew her hair to and from her face. It was only then that she realized that she had her hair down. It's been so long since she last felt the wind caress her rich brown locks. She almost forgot how good it felt.

Tenten closed her eyes to savor the moment. Everything seemed so serene.

It was then that an unpleasant memory came back to her head.

It was a memory dated approximately three years ago. The setting was similar to this – a hospital room. It was the day that Neji told her such hurtful words that pierced through her very being, even up until now.

"_If you had only avoided those weapons, then Lee didn't have to get injured."_

Tenten clutched her chest. Neji's words from three years ago still haunted her.

Three years.

It's been three years. Yet his words still stung. It was as if it were just yesterday that he told her those words.

"_Take this time to think about everything you've done. You almost cost Lee his life and not to mention we almost failed the mission. Maybe next time you'll try to be more serious during training and especially during missions. You can't let the team down again Tenten. Now you see the fatality of creating ONE mistake. I hope you won't let it happen again…"_

Tenten sighed. She kept telling herself never to take Neji's words to heart. But it was just so hard to do so if his words were the ones that seemed to matter the most to her.

There was just no escaping her past.

Tenten felt her eye lids getting heavy. She was sleepy once more.

"_Damn. Can't I stay awake just a little bit longer?"_

Tenten grumbled as she made her way back to the bed and eventually, back to sleep.

* * *

Lucas let out a tired sigh as he lay silently in bed. He watched as the lightning lit up the sky, which was shortly followed by the roaring thunder.

"_It's going to rain…"_

Lucas scowled a bit. He hated the rain. Not only because his element was fire but also because of the fact that a lot of the terrible memories he had had rain associated with them.

Lucas closed his eyes and wondered if Tenten was alright. So much has already happened since the first time they had finally located their mistress. He still couldn't forget the joy he felt when he learned of her existence. It gave them all hope and reason to live. He would throw his life away for her in a heartbeat.

Suddenly, Lucas's thoughts were disrupted by a loud noise.

He immediately sat up.

"_What was that?"_

He narrowed his eyes as he patiently waited for another sound. It couldn't just be his imagination.

THUD!

There it was again. This time, it was louder.

Lucas immediately threw the covers away from his body and jumped off his bed. He didn't know why but he was feeling incredibly uneasy. He took possession of his sword and headed towards the location of the noise.

"_It's coming from the training hall."_

Lucas ran swiftly through the halls of their home – his steps calculated and silent – things one would expect from a well-trained bodyguard. As he turned around a corner, he saw Griselda, Mifuyu and Yue all positioned at the huge oak door of the training hall.

"Took you long enough." Yue commented.

Ignoring Yue's statement, Lucas, not wanting to waste any time, immediately pushed the door open. The moment he did, all four of them took up their fighting stances. Each had his/her respective weapon at hand as well.

At the same exact moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the hall. It didn't last long but it was enough to completely show them the body of the intruder. His face though, was still masked by the darkness.

The intruder had a long black cape that ended just a few inches above his ankle. It slightly covered what looked like an outfit similar to that of an ANBU's but different as well since streaks of red, black and silver adorned his sophisticated battle gear.

All four of them eyed the intruder dangerously. His black cape was dancing around him as the wind blew in from the fully opened oak doors. He made no move.

Lucas slowly stood straight as he pointed his sword at the intruder. His gaze was intimidating, threatening.

"Who are you and what do you want?" He whispered dangerously.

Another flash of lightning lit the hall.

Mifuyu, Griselda and Yue were still in their fighting stances – their gazes as intimidating as Lucas's.

"I'm not here to fight." The intruder whispered. His words were followed by a roaring thunder.

"Then answer my questions." Lucas demanded as he brought down his sword to his side. He may have brought his sword down but his guard was still up.

The intruder took a few steps forward.

Lucas immediately took up his stance while the other three prepared for battle. But the moment they braised themselves, the intruder stopped.

Once more another flash of blinding light filled the hall. This time, all four were able to see the face of the intruder clearly.

He had long back hair that was spiked in all conceivable ways possible. His face was serious but his eyes were closed.

The sight of him was enough to freeze all four of them on the spot.

"It can't be…" Yue whispered in disbelief. His eyes were as wide as ever.

The rest simply looked on with wide eyes. They were too shocked to ever muster up a word to say.

There was a moment of silence but a loud howling thunder soon broke it.

Simultaneously, the intruder opened his eyes. Even in the midst of the dark training hall, two red orbs were evidently seen.

"Uchiha…" Mifuyu began but she didn't have the strength to say his first name.

Griselda clutched both of her daggers. Her hands were shaking both due to furry and fear.

"Madara…"

**

* * *

**

Tenten stirred slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. What she saw before her made her awaken completely.

There to her right were two giant statues of two men facing one another. Their hands formed seals as their gazes locked dangerously on each other. In the middle of the two was a huge waterfall that flowed right into a river.

Tenten couldn't believe it.

"The valley of the end…?" She whispered incredulously.

How did she get here?

She followed the flow of water from the waterfalls to the river when suddenly her eyes caught sight of four figures lying limply on the river bank.

Tenten narrowed her eyes for a clearer look. What she saw almost made her go berserk.

There in the river bank were the lifeless bodies of her senseis.

Tenten wanted to scream but her voice was lost. She felt tears build up in her eyes but none refused to fall.

Suddenly, her body became immobile as well. Her eyes widened as her surroundings slowly melted to reveal a pitch black realm of nothingness.

She was alone. Trapped. Helpless.

A figure suddenly appeared in front of her. It was the silhouette of a man with a long black cape and long black spiked hair. She couldn't see his face. He was slowly moving towards her – taking small but intimidating steps. Tenten panicked even more as he watched him draw out a sword slowly from his back. Tenten's eyes widened. It was Lucas's sword.

Was she in a genjutsu?

Tenten mustered up all of her strength to make her body move or to even just scream. But there was nothing. She could only watch in terror as the man raised the sword up in the air. He was close but still she couldn't see his face. The last thing she saw was the outline of his smirk before the blade sliced right through her flesh.

**

* * *

**

Tenten's eyes flew wide open. Her breathing was ragged and she felt sweat building up in her forehead.

She immediately sat up to glance at her surroundings. She was back to the hospital room.

"_It was a dream…"_ She exclaimed breathlessly.

Tenten brought her knees under her chin and hugged them.

"_No. It was a nightmare…"_

Tears began to form in her eyes but pride prevented them from falling. She promised herself three years ago that she was never going to cry. Crying reminded her she was weak… Fragile. Vulnerable. And she was not about to break that promise.

After a few minutes of recollecting her thoughts, Tenten slowly stood up from the bed. Sleeping was already out of the question since she didn't want to risk having her nightmare continue.

Tenten's vision landed on the Tiger Lilies once more. She made her way towards them and hugged the vase against her chest. Tenten was glad she had them with her. They provided her some level of comfort and ease.

Tenten closed her eyes and smiled as the cool night breeze began to caress her hair once again.

"_It was just a nightmare…"_

Tenten opened her eyes and glanced down at the Lilies.

"It was just a nightmare." She reassured.

Tenten placed the Tiger Lilies back down onto the window sill and headed back to the bed. But just before she made it back, she sensed a presence near the window sill.

Tenten immediately spun around and took up her fighting stance as she glared at the idiot who boldly welcomed himself into her hospital room at this hour.

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise but they narrowed almost immediately. She slowly let go of her fighting stance but her guard remained up.

She glared daggers at the person disrupting her privacy.

"What is it this time?" Tenten paused as she stressed his name with such hatred. "Uchiha."

Sasuke simply looked at her with an impassive face as he stated the reason for his visit.

"I came to issue a challenge."

**

* * *

**

Well, that's it!

Thanks for reading!

OH! And by the way, **I edited Dragon Seal... As in ALL CHAPTERS... **Don't worry I didn't change the story's plot! I just changed the way I wrote some of the things since i think the way I initially wrote them were PATHETIC and SO UNARTISTIC. So if you guys have time, please reread the story (All 31 chapters...LOL! Good luck!) and please tell me what you think..:D

And I would like to plug my other story.. It's under the shoujo manga/anime **Special A**. It's a **YahiroXMegumi **story. I love them both. It's entitled **Opera Date**. I love it so much. I just updated right before I updated this. I'll try to finish it this year! It's either a 4 or 5 chapter story..

As for my readers of **MINE**, I apologize for not updating it for so long! SO sorry, I'm just stuck... in writer's block. I have no idea how to continue it. So please bear with me! I will try to update it before the year ends though! I'll do my very very best!

To the fans of my **SasuTen** story **Just for Tonight**, I'm sorry to say but that really is just a one shot so I won't be making anymore..Sorry..But I will try to think about it though..But for now, it really is just a one-shot.. That's why I labeled it as complete.. But thanks to all those who love it! I love it too..:)

Thanks again to all my readers! I love you all!


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32:** **Revelations**

Tsunade sighed as she dismissed the nurse who had gone to her to report about the stubbornness of a certain patient she had ordered to be placed under special care. It was said that he refused to see any visitors, take any form of medication, answer any questions and had yet to touch his dinner, which was served four hours ago.

Tsunade glanced around her office only to find out she was left alone. She quickly took out a bottle of sake from her secret stash under her table and gulped the entire thing in one go. After letting out a breath that signified refreshment, she pushed herself out of her chair and headed for the door. It looks like a certain genius was in need of a bit more education.

Tsunade made a clicking sound with her tongue as she closed the door of her office. She hated having to take on the role of knocking some sense into people. But being a medic, she was almost always left in that position. She sighed. If only Jiraiya were still here, she could dump the task on him and command him to talk some sense into the kid.

A bitter smile formed on the Godaime's lips. Jiraiya had always been good at dealing with children. He always seemed to have that 'X' factor with kids. Children would always wander towards him, asking him to play with them or tell them stories. And he never said no to them either. He loved kids – something that most people found surprising. After all, being fond of children and being a womanizer at the same time wasn't the usual mix. What he had that kids loved, Tsunade never really understood. Perhaps he had the same intellectual capacity as they did? Or perhaps it was his child-like personality that always had him placed in near-death situations for being such an idiot?

Tsunade laughed to herself. Jiraiya had always and forever will be an A-class idiot. He was an A-class idiot that should have been the rightful Godaime if only he wasn't such a stupid bum about everything.

Tsunade made another clicking sound with her tongue. "Passing on the job to me… Stupid moron."

Tsunade stopped in her tracks when she realized she had reached her destination. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of the perverted sannin, she began to crack her knuckles and twist her neck. If she didn't get the results she wanted, someone was going to get hurt.

After a deep breath, Tsunade forcefully opened the door and barged into the room. "Nara Shikamaru!"

* * *

Lucas was shaking. As for why, he wasn't so sure himself. Was it because he was enraged? Or was it because he was frightened?

Uchiha Madara was standing tall and proud right before his very eyes. Despite being outnumbered, he demonstrated such an air of confidence and indifference that it rattled him even further.

"What do you want?" He demanded. His words were laced with so much hatred.

A laugh was heard in reply.

"What the hell is so funny?" Griselda's eyes were wide and furious as she yelled. Her knuckles were beginning to turn white due to her firm hold on her daggers. Yue and Mifuyu stayed silent but both looked like they were out for blood.

Lucas tightened in hold on the hilt of his sword as he narrowed his eyes. "Answer me."

Another flash of lightning engulfed their surroundings followed immediately by a loud roaring thunder. In that short amount of time, all four were able to see the devilish smirk that was forming on Madara's lips.

"What I want…" Madara paused to chuckle slightly after reiterating Lucas's question with amusement laced in his tone. "Is it not obvious?"

Madara took a few steps forward causing all four to tighten their stances, ready to charge when necessary.

"Take one more step and we won't hesitate to attack." Lucas warned. "I'll ask again." He paused as repositioned his sword so that its tip was pointing right at Madara's throat. "What do you want?"

Madara smirked slightly at the attempted threat. "My daughter." He paused momentarily to savor the reactions his words had created. "I'm here to claim my daughter."

Lucas was shaking once more. But this time he was sure why. He wanted to slit the bastard's throat so bad it was making his entire body ache. "There is nothing…" He began, his voice shaking as well. "Absolutely nothing here…" He paused once more to change his stance into that of an offensive one. "For you to claim!"

In the blink of an eye, Lucas was right in front of Madara, swinging his sword from his right with every intention of slitting his enemy's throat. Without even flinching, Madara raised his left arm successfully blocking the attack with his arm gear.

"That…" Madara began. His eyes were covered by his hair. "Was a big mistake." Lucas watched in surprise as Madara's initial pleasant but dangerous demeanor turned into a serious and threatening one.

Madara forcefully pushed Lucas away and was ready to counterattack when he suddenly sensed another presence to his right. Raising his right hand to block, he turned his attention towards the direction of the assault. Two daggers were the first things he saw before his female attacker came into full view. Madara narrowed his eyes in annoyance. With his right hand, he swiftly unsheathed the sword resting behind his back, ready to delivering a finishing blow.

After fully unsheathing his sword, however, Madara found that he was unable to move his arm any further. Redirecting his attention towards his left arm, he found it to be tightly bound by a whip whose wielder was a few good meters away from him.

Madara prepared to attack both females who had arrogantly tried to detain him when yet another presence alerted him of an assault. Snapping his head up to look above him, he was surprised to see a large wooden staff aimed at his head brimming with infused chakra.

Lucas watched as the staff collided with Madara causing the entire room to collapse. Pieces of wood were flying in every conceivable direction. Smoke and dust were heavily interspersed in the air.

Yue coughed slightly as he clutched his staff and heightened his senses for any possible ambushes. Yue raised his staff in front of him before pulling it outwards creating an air pressure that forced the smoke and dust to dispel. He cautiously scanned the area in search for any human presence. Not soon after, two simultaneous loud crashes were heard followed by coughing.

"Griselda! Mifuyu!" Yue called out as he carefully approached them, still weary of a surprise attack.

"You idiot! Were you trying to get us killed? Some sort of warning would have sufficed!" Griselda angrily scolded as she punched Yue upside the head.

Yue clutched the back of his head in pain. "You survived anyway didn't you! And besides, do you expect me to yell 'This is a strong attack so brace yourselves' before I actually strike?"

Griselda was about to argue further but another loud crash silenced her.

"Lucas!" All three simultaneously yelled in relief.

At the mention of his name, Lucas immediately took his defensive stance and scanned the area for any possible attacks. "Where's Madara?"

"I can't sense him anymore." Mifuyu began. "It's either he's left or…"

"I doubt he's dead." Yue scoffed as he scanned the area nonetheless. "Bad pests are hard to kill."

"Are you alright?" Mifuyu asked worriedly as she inspected Lucas for any wounds.

"I'm fine." He replied as he glanced at the rest of them. Not once did he let his guard down. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No, we're all fine." Griselda replied. "Except for the fact that one of us tried to kill all of us."

"Hey! You're all alive now, right? Who's trying to kill anybody?" Yue annoyingly replied.

"Well isn't this a nice scene?"

All four froze.

"I find it insulting that you're this lenient despite my presence."

All four directed their gaze at a figure standing idly up a tree a good twenty meters away. Without wasting time, all four of them took up their stances once again.

"How?" Lucas managed to blurt out.

"How?" Madara repeated with a chuckle. "How did I get from there to here?" Madara jumped down from the tree and began to walk towards the four, who only tightened their defenses. "Why I've been here the whole time."

Yue narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You lot are not very bright are you?" Madara stated with a bored look on his face.

"What did you-" Griselda began but was cut off. "Did you already forget what you saw the first instance I showed myself to you?" Madara smirked.

Lucas's eyes widened in understanding. "The Sharingan…" He replied silently but vehemently as if cursing it with all his might.

Madara's smirk grew. "Now you're getting somewhere."

"So the one we fought…" Mifuyu began but couldn't bring herself to say the next words. Yue finished it for her. "Was a fake."

Griselda gritted her teeth as she spit out the name of the technique she hated the most. "Genjutsu."

Lucas mentally cursed. How could he have allowed that to happen? He gripped his sword tighter when he heard Madara chuckle in amusement.

"So…" He paused to point at himself. "Am I the real Madara?" He smirked as he glanced at the frustrated faces of his opponents. "Or am I another fake?"

* * *

"I came to issue a challenge."

Tenten looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. Out of all the ridiculous things he did and said, this one definitely took the cake. If he were a normal comrade, she would have laughed at his ridiculous attempt at humor. But no. He was Uchiha Sasuke. 'Joking' was not in his vocabulary.

"Have you gone mad?" Tenten replied with mirth evident in her eyes.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "I don't believe I said anything funny. Nor did I say something that would serve as an instrument to question my sanity."

Now it was Tenten's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You _are_ aware that I am currently confined in the hospital right?" She paused before a look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh! Well, Uchiha, this place? It's called a hospital. And a hospital is where sick and injured people usually stay in so that they could get all better and be able to go back to what they used to do with-"

"Don't. Mock me." Sasuke's eyes were now narrowed in anger. "Think you're funny?"

Tenten folded her arms in front of her chest as she glared at Sasuke. "No. I wasn't trying to be funny. But I admit I was mocking you. Want to know why?" Tenten paused for a while as she tilted her head to the side. "Because I don't know what's going on in that head of yours that actually makes you want to challenge someone, who isn't even able to walk properly, into a fight."

Sasuke scoffed. "I never said I had to be right now."

That got Tenten to shut up.

"I came here to tell you that I want to fight you. Anytime. Anywhere. As long as you assure me that it _will_ happen." Sasuke stated in a low but menacing voice.

Tenten brought her arms down to her sides and clenched her hands into fists. "Why the _hell_ do you keep pestering me to fight you? What's your reason? Your motive?"

Tenten received no answer. The Uchiha prodigy was simply looking at her straight in the eyes with a calculating look. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly and his eyelids refused to blink. Tenten, not wanting to have her question left unanswered, refused to back down from the avenger's gaze.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Tenten began to grow tired.

"Well?" Tenten paused as she swiftly looked Sasuke up and down. "Aren't you going to answer my question?"

Not once shifting his gaze off her, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to hide?" He paused to study her reaction. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second but immediately returned to their narrowed state.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What are you so afraid of?"

Wanting to annoy the Uchiha prodigy, Tenten imitated his pose. "Again. What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Why do you keep avoiding fighting me?" Sasuke asked once more, this time more forceful than the others.

"Why do you keep answering a question with another question?" Tenten replied equally frustrated.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a few seconds to keep his cool. Why did talking to this girl always make him want to go berserk?

"Do you accept?" He said slowly.

Tenten raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"All I want… Is a _yes_ or a _no_." Sasuke reiterated. He was losing his patience.

Tenten scoffed in annoyance. "Didn't I make it clear?" She paused for a second to glare at Uchiha prodigy. "No. I won't."

Tenten braised herself for an outburst but received nothing. She narrowed her eyes at the suddenly quiet figure of the Uchiha prodigy. His eyes were concealed by strands of his hair and he remained immobile for what seemed like the longest time.

"Look. If you have nothing more-"

Sasuke snapped his head up to reveal bloody eyes. Tenten began to panic. "What the hell are you-"

Not even given the opportunity to finish her query, Tenten suddenly felt her entire body falling down what seemed like an endless pit of nothingness. She raised her hands in front of her face in defense as a strong gust of wind blew against her small frame. Black. Everything was black. She couldn't see even her own human figure. Where was she? How did she-

Tenten let out a grunt as she landed on solid ground harshly. The seemingly endless fall fell to a stop. Ignoring the aches of her muscles and joints, she forced herself up into a standing position. She glanced around in search for anything, anything at all that would give her eyes a break from all the darkness that engulfed her. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Tenten bit her lip and cursed. She was careless. Now she was trapped inside Sasuke's Genjutsu – a Sharingan weilder's genjutsu to be exact. She desperately closed her eyes in concentration as she formed a seal with her right hand. "Kai!"

Opening her eyes, she clenched her fists in frustration. She was still greeted by the same dark and gloomy atmosphere. She cursed again as she tried to release the genjutsu once more but to no avail. She knew it was pointless. His Sharingan was way too powerful. Kakashi's Sharingan would fail to even compare despite the fact that the copy ninja was holding back when he tried to place her inside a genjutsu.

Tenten clenched both of her fists. There was only one way to get herself out of this situation. But that would mean-

Tenten screamed as she punched at nothing in particular. She was trapped alright but she would never reveal her secret. Not to anyone and especially not to him. She had no idea how long time had passed in the real world but if he was going to be stubborn about things, then so was she.

Tenten plopped herself down comfortably on what she would consider as the floor. She was going to wait until someone found out about the Uchiha's presence in her room and stop him from proceeding any further. Tenten sighed. She knew that was asking too much. But she would not, in her life, reveal to Sasuke her true abilities. Death would have been a better choice.

But before Tenten could even begin to consider the prospect of dying, her surroundings began to melt. Black drops of goo enveloped her and before she knew it, she was drowning in a large melting pot of black gunk. It would have been tolerable of course, if it only hadn't begun to boil.

Tenten screamed as she struggled against the scalding viscous liquid. She watched in utter shock as her skin began to melt and peel off. She let out a strangled cry. "Stop it…" Bubbles began to form on the surface of her skin before bursting out oozing blood. She fought back the tears but failed miserably. She had to endure. She wouldn't, shouldn't lose to the Uchiha. Never! She clenched her hands but gasped in pain and horror when she saw that they had lost most of their skin and muscles, leaving nothing but bones enveloped in blood and remnants of what used to cover them.

"Stop it!"

Tenten let out a strangled cry. How dare that bastard! How dare he do this to her! She let out another scream as she felt her face melting off. She raised her bony hands up to cover her face wishing that it would take away the pain only to fail miserably. Her hair began to fall off flowing down her face and shoulders, mixing together with the black goo and her own pooling blood.

"Make it stop!"

* * *

Tsunade stood at the end of the bed, taking in the appearance of the Nara genius. His eyes were directed up the ceiling, his body wrapped under the blanket while his hands lay limp on his sides. Not once did he acknowledge her presence nor did he even bother to answer any of her questions.

Tsunade clenched her fists. "So this is how you're going to be?" She paused hoping to get answer but received nothing. "Giving up?" Again there was no answer.

Fed up, Tsunade stomped her way towards Shikamaru and grabbed him by the collar of his hospital clothes. She pulled him out of bed and slammed him onto the wall. "I asked you a question! Shikamaru Nara!"

Tsunade tightened her hold on the Nara genius when he still refused to give her even a slight reaction. "What the hell are you acting all depressed for, huh?"

Suddenly, a nurse barged into the room in shock. "G-Godaime-sama!"

"You may be blind but there's still a chance that we may be able to find a cure!" Tsunade began before being cut off by the nurse. "P-Please Godaime-sama, the patient-"

"Did it even occur to you to think about why someone would do this to you? Why someone would go through all the trouble to incapacitate you? Why you, out of all the shinobi in Konoha, were targeted?" Tsunade argued. She was satisfied when she finally saw something flicker in Shikamaru's eyes. Drawing herself closer, she began to whisper in his ear. The Nara genius's eyes grew big at the Godaime's words.

"I believe some sort of conspiracy is going on. A potentially great danger awaits Konoha… I don't know exactly why you were targeted. But I believe your incapacity serves beneficial to whoever is behind this."

Tsunade drew herself away before dropping the Nara genius down back onto his bed. She smirked. He looked livelier than he did when she had first entered his room. "So while we're working on trying to figure out a way to get your sight back, I suggest you get your act back together." Tsunade gave the Nara prodigy one more look before heading back to the door. The nurse immediately made her way to Shikamaru to check for any additional injuries.

After opening the door, Tsunade paused as if contemplating something. "That's an order." Turning around to looking straight at the Nara genius face, she stated his name firmly. "Nara Shikamaru."

The Nara genius could only direct his head to where he thought the voice had come from and nodded his head. "Understood."

Satisfied with his answer, the Godaime left the room with a small smile gracing her features.

* * *

Lucas embedded his sword on the ground leaning on it for support as he fell on one knee. He struggled to catch his breath as he glared at his enemy. He was standing a few good meters away from him but the look of boredom and disinterest was evident in his face.

Lucas cursed. He was much stronger than they had anticipated. He glanced to his right to see Yue standing beside him. His breathing was ragged and he was struggling to keep his body upright and ready for battle. His eyes, filled with hatred, were glued on the enemy and the grip of his right hand on his staff was tighter than ever. His left hand lay limp and immobile on his side bleeding profusely.

"Yue, can you still fight?" Lucas asked as he struggled to get on his feet, eyes darting back to glare death at his enemy.

Yue grunted in annoyance. "What kind of question is that?"

Lucas glanced momentarily to his left and shifted his attention towards the two female members of their clan. Directing his gaze back to the enemy, he took his stance once more. "Will she be alright?"

Mifuyu let out a desperate breath. "It was a pretty deep wound. Most of her vital organs have been hit. I'm doing the best that I can. But I don't think she'll be able to fight any-"

"Shut the fuck up Mimi…" Came Griselda's silent but forceful hoarse voice. "Death is the only thing that will stop me from fighting."

"If you do keep on fighting you really will-!"

"So be it Mi!" Griselda paused to cough out blood. "I'd rather die knowing that I was fighting for everything I believed in rather than to live only to have my pride sullied."

An amused grunt was heard.

"The hell are you laughing at moron?" Griselda struggled to raise her head slightly to glare at the idiot who was stupid enough to find their situation amusing.

Yue simply grunted in reply.

"We'll buy you sometime." He began as he took his stance. "You better be up and kicking by then or else there'd be nothing left for you to beat up." He paused before giving Griselda an arrogant smirk. "You see, I got dibs on his head."

Griselda snorted. "Airhead."

Yue directed his attention back to the Uchiha adversary as he grinned widely. "You better not die on me till then."

Before Griselda could reply, Yue was gone in the blink of an eye charging towards their sworn enemy. She grunted in annoyance. "As if I'd die that easily."

"Lucas-" Griselda began.

"On it." Lucas disappeared in a flash, joining Yue back in the battlefield.

"Is there anyway that you can hurry Mimi?" Griselda began, her eyes not leaving the fight. "They're both pretty beat up. If we don't get back there…"

"Give me five more minutes." Mifuyu stated firmly, momentarily garnering the Earth bender's undivided attention. Determination was shining in her eyes. "We'll be back and ready to aid them in five minutes."

Griselda shifted her attention back to the fight only to see Yue and Lucas thrown back against a tree; their joint attack failing to even scratch the Sharingan master. Griselda clenched her fists in desperation. "I don't think we have five minutes."

* * *

Blood met blood.

Sasuke stood frozen, unable to mask his shock. This couldn't be real. This wasn't real at all! He was the sole survivor – the last of his clan! How could someone else possess his clan's pride? How could someone else possess the power of the Uchiha clan?

Finally getting over his shock, Sasuke allowed nothing but pure rage to take over. "Why?" He demanded in a low but menacing voice, his eyes never leaving identical ones that stared back at him. "Why do you have it?"

Tenten clenched her fists. She felt nothing but loathe for the man right before her eyes. "You wanted the truth, didn't you?" She spat out bitterly, anger laced in every word. "Now handle it!"

"Why?" Sasuke demanded again as he began to move towards Tenten. For every step he took, she mirrored as well only she took them backwards. It wasn't long before she found her back against the wall.

"How is it possible…?" Sasuke whispered incredulously before he pounded his right fist on the wall next to the weapons mistress' head. His eyes never left the same bloody ones that stared defiantly at him.

Cornered, Tenten angrily aimed a right hook at the Uchiha prodigy's face. Sasuke caught the assault with ease, establishing a firm hold on Tenten's right wrist. Ignoring the pain of her muscles, she tried to do the same move using her left hand only to have it imprisoned by Sasuke's right hand as well.

Glaring at the Uchiha avenger, Tenten pulled at her wrists. "Let me go."

"Why do you have the Sharingan?" Sasuke asked once more. His voice was calmer than before but the rage and confusion lay bottled beneath.

"I am not obliged to answer your questions."

Sasuke pulled at Tenten's wrists causing her to collide with his chest only to force her back against the wall. Groaning in pain, Tenten glared death at the Uchiha prodigy ready to deliver a counterattack; however, the sound of rushing steps caught both Sharingan wielders' attention.

Not soon after, the door to Tenten's room bolted open. "What's going on in here?"

Tenten snapped her head towards the voice only to be met by Shizune's panting figure. She directed her attention back to where her intruder had once stood only to see nothing but the smooth flowing curtains on her window sill.

"Tenten?" Shizune asked anxiously. "What happened?"

Tenten, realizing how ridiculous she looked leaning fully against the wall, pushed herself off as her hands reflexively went to caress her wrists. "N-Nothing… I was just having a bad dream."

Eying the weapons mistress up and down, Shizune wasn't sold. "Was someone here with you?"

Trying to look as innocent as possible, Tenten shook her head. "No. I was alone." Heading for her bed, she thought of a way to sell her lie. "I remembered something… From the past…" She paused as she sat on her bed, her back to the Godaime's assistant. "It was… A very bad memory…"

Shizune eyed the slightly shaken girl anxiously as she hugged her knees to her chest. "It's the type you'd wish you could erase from your memory… Just forget it. Forever."

Making her way towards the weapons mistress, she sat beside her and gave her a comforting pat on the back. "Are you alright?"

Tenten nodded as she rested her forehead on her knees, successfully hiding her face from Shizune's view. She wasn't entirely lying. What just happened was definitely something she wished she could erase from her memory forever. "I will be. Just as long as I don't fall asleep again…"

Shizune shook her head. "You need to rest." Shizune stood up and began to guide Tenten back to bed.

"I'll be fine." Tenten pushed on. "I've had enough rest." Looking elsewhere she began to wonder. How ever would she tell her senseis?

Shizune shook her head once more. "You still look horrible. You need more."

Tenten's inner self fell into depression. Did she really look _that _horrible?

Sensing the sudden change of mood, Shizune laughed nervously. "I-I'm not saying you look bad! I'm just saying you need to rest more if you want the bags under your eyes to disappear completely."

Taking any opportunity to change the topic, Tenten brought her hands to her eyes. "I-I have eye bags?"

Shizune chuckled at the young girl's reaction. "Yes. Now you need to rest some more." She paused to fully tuck the weapons mistress into bed. "After all you won't be able to get as much rest after you get out of the hospital."

Tenten smiled a bit. "I'm sure I can find ways."

Shizune grinned as she made her way towards the door. "I don't think so…" She paused as she opened it. "You see…" She turned around to give Tenten one more look. "Jounins don't get that much free time." With that, she shut the door.

Tenten lay back down in bed contemplating what Shizune had just told her. "Jounins don't get that much-"

Shizune waited outside the door and counted.

"I'm promoted to Jounin?"

Shizune grinned. "Eight seconds. She's pretty slow."

Making her way back to the Godaime's office, her demeanor changed into a serious one. She could have sworn she felt Uchiha Sasuke's chakra inside Tenten's room. But it was so faint she couldn't tell if it was real or if she had imagined it. And if he really was there, what could he have possibly wanted with Tenten? Or better yet, why would she lie to her about his visit?

She narrowed her eyes as she calculated possibilities. Perhaps the Godaime would want to know about this.

* * *

Sasuke jumped from tree to tree with no real destination in mind. He was confused, angry, frustrated but most of all, he felt betrayed. What he believed in all his life was a lie. There was another survivor of the Uchiha massacre. But how could that have been possible? How could he not have known?

He stopped running for a moment to punch a hole through an innocent tree. Why the hell did he not know a thing about this? What else was he unaware of?

Not knowing what to do anymore, Sasuke pulled out his katana and began an all out slaughter of Mother Nature. Trees fell down one after the other, not one standing in his way had any luck of being spared. Hours passed and not once did the Uchiha avenger cease his assault.

Finally, after clearing a path for himself, Sasuke found himself facing a waterfall. The light of the moon made it look ethereal, untainted by humanity. Ignoring his body's cry for oxygen, he made his way towards it. He felt the water travel up from his feet to his ankles as he moved further before falling on his knees.

Staring as his reflection, he cursed. He looked the same way he looked that night – desperate, lost. It was the night he would have given anything to forget but also; he never wanted to forget a single moment of it as well. It was what kept him going all this time. It was the only thing he had left - the memory of the night his clan was erased from the face of the Earth.

Sasuke fell forward causing the water to displace violently. He didn't know what to believe in anymore.

* * *

Lucas breathed heavily as he blocked another one of Madara's attacks. It was getting harder and harder to fair against him using only one hand. Glancing momentarily at the figure he held securely on his left shoulder, he made a move to distance himself from his adversary.

Ceasing his assault, Madara glanced at all four of his opponents. "Pathetic."

Griselda clenched her fists and charged to attack but was silenced by Lucas. "Don't let him get to you!" Huffing, Griselda stayed put beside the fire bender. "Then what the hell do you suppose we do then?"

"Calm down Zelda…" Yue coughed as he struggled to get on his feet.

"Being lectured by a half dead idiot doesn't really seem that convincing…"

Glaring at the female Earth bender, Yue scoffed. "Who was the first one among us who was actually half dead?"

Before Griselda could yell a reply, Lucas silenced both with the wave of his sword. One threatening look was all it took to silence both of them.

"I know what you're all capable of." Madara began, successfully garnering the attention of his opponents. "I know all about your clan and their abilities." He paused to savor the shock faces of his adversaries. "Why else would I have chosen that woman to bear my heir?"

Lucas tightened his hold on his sword. "Do NOT talk of Nadeshiko-sama that way."

Madara chuckled a bit. "So that was her name."

Gently placing Mifuyu down on the ground, Lucas slowly brought his sword up before bringing it down forcefully causing it to light up in flames.

"Lucas…" Griselda whispered anxiously as she glanced at the color of his flames – blue.

Lucas brought his sword down to touch the ground causing a trail of blue flames to form creating a circle around the entire battlegrounds.

"Lucas." Yue reprimanded with desperation evident in his voice as he eyed the growing blue flames. "Calm down."

Raising an eyebrow, Madara eyed the red-haired man with interest. "I seem to have struck a nerve." Then he smirked. "Let me guess, you were in love with her?"

In a flash, Lucas appeared in front of Madara swinging his sword with unbelievable speed, every slash intended to brutally massacre anything in its way.

"He's lost it! What do we-" Yue paused as he looked around for Griselda. "Zelda?"

Glancing momentarily at Mifuyu's still unconscious body, he frantically looked around for the female Earth bender once more. "Griselda!"

* * *

Griselda opened her eyes only to feel that she was flying in the air. Still not able to grasp the situation, she landed hard face first on a tree. "Oww! What the hell-"

"Get down!"

Doing as the voice commanded her, she crouched down only to find that a large Fumma Shuriken was now embedded on where her head once laid. Before she could even eye her surroundings, another order came her way. "Close your eyes! Don't even _think_ of looking anywhere!"

Doing as she was told, Griselda scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Mimi?"

"Now find something to tie over your eyes! You can't afford to open them! Are you listening to me Griselda?"

Tearing a portion of her clothes, Griselda nodded. "I am! I am!" After successfully blindfolding herself, she felt Mifuyu's presence beside her. "We're against the real Madara." She began. Her breathing was ragged and her voice was strained.

"Are you alright?" Griselda asked in worry only to be ignored.

"Lucas and Yue are still trapped under his Genjutsu. I've been trying release all three of you from it but he's just too strong. My hands are full just fighting him and trying to protect all three of you."

Nodding in understanding, Griselda drew her daggers out. "How long have you been here fighting him?"

"From the very moment we realized it was a genjutsu."

If only she wasn't blind folded, Griselda was sure her eyes would have popped out of their sockets. "From the- But you were there with us the whole time!"

Mifuyu made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Genjutsu, remember?"

Before Griselda could answer, a large ball of fire was shot in their direction. Jumping out of the way, the two female benders were separated.

"I'll keep him busy. You try and get those two lazy assess back here." Griselda ordered as she escaped another ball of flame.

"Will you be alright?" Mifuyu asked anxiously.

Griselda snorted, slightly insulted. "Have you forgotten what my element is? Blind fighting is what I'm all about!"

Mifuyu mouthed an 'Oh' in understanding. "Right!" She replied before heading towards the ice barrier she had formed to protect Yue and Lucas.

Madara stared at the blindfolded Earth bender in indifference. "What do you think you will achieve by fighting me alone?"

Grinning like an idiot, Griselda replied with arrogance. "Your head." Raising her right leg up in the air, Griselda let out a forceful cry before bringing it down to stomp on the ground. Simultaneously, hundreds of fist-sized rocks rose into the air.

Unperturbed, Madara watched as the rocks slowly formed into sharp needles. Without warning, Griselda sent them flying towards the Sharingan wielder.

Griselda narrowed her eyes as she felt all her needles pierce through her enemy. He couldn't have been that weak.

As if answering her doubts, Griselda felt hundreds of fire bolts raining down from the sky. Braising herself for the attack, Griselda furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as every single one missed her. How could that have been- She gasped in shock at the realization of Madara's real target.

"Mimi!"

Hearing her name, Mifuyu immediately turned around as she forcefully bended water out of trees within her reach. Pulling the massive water supply above her, she blew onto it successfully turning it into a thick wall of ice. She grimaced as the force of the fire bolts began to tear through it.

Unsatisfied, Madara immediately began to form hand seals. If fire wouldn't do the trick, he had tons more up his sleeve.

"Thunder Saber…"

Mifuyu's eyes widened in shock as her ice defense was broken into pieces. Particles of ice began to fall onto her as she watched Madara form hand seals once more.

"This time, I won't miss-"

Madara's eyes widened in surprise as four large boulders from different angles charged right at him. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, he sped up to avoid them and headed right towards the female water bender. Drawing out his katana, he immediately made a move to finish off his opponent only to have the ground below him rise up and swallow him whole.

Mifuyu stood there in shock until a voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Now Mimi! Get Lucas and Yue now!"

Blinking, Mifuyu nodded and rushed towards the two male benders she left under the protection of her ice barrier.

Feeling the ground shake, Griselda narrowed her eyes in annoyance. He was one tough bitch alright. Raising her arms in front of her face in an X formation, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Pieces of metals from the ground slowly began to accumulate in her arms and legs. After forming a suitable armor, Griselda knocked her fists together before charging towards the source of the vibration.

Not soon after, Madara broke free from the ground, his mask of indifference changed into a slightly annoyed one. Sensing an assault, Madara immediately turned around only to see a large metal hand ready to bust his face open. Raising his katana in time, Madara narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He didn't expect the attack to be that heavy. Sensing his feet slide slowly against the ground, he eyed his blindfolded adversary with contempt.

Wanting to draw Madara further away from Mifuyu and her comrades, Griselda began to release a barrage of punches and kicks at a new found speed and power. Blocking every attack with his katana, Madara's annoyance grew as he was pushed further and further away by the force of the Earth bender's attacks.

All of a sudden, a loud explosion was heard from where Mifuyu's ice barrier once stood. Madara narrowed his eyes. They were free.

Griselda, distracted for a second, turned her head towards the explosion and grinned. Now the real fight was going to begin. Taking the distraction to his advantage, Madara swiftly crept up behind the unknowing Earth bender and aimed for her exposed back.

Falling onto the ground, Madara watched coldly as blood began to pool around the seemingly unconscious fighter. Turning his attention back to his other opponents, he watched as all three blindfolded fighters took their stances.

Lucas waved his sword to the side drowning in flames. Mifuyu drew her whip out and circled it up in the air before threateningly snapping it on the ground and taking up her stance. Yue spun his staff around his body as he prepared for an assault. Concentrating, he pointed his staff right at Madara releasing a strong gust of wind.

Caught off guard by the pressure, Madara reflexively closed his eyes – a grave mistake. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see the back of the air bender standing a few feet in front of him, shooting the water bender up in the air with his hands. About to take the chance for a finishing blow, Madara's eyes grew big as he felt an assault coming directly below him.

Looking down, he felt a large iron fist collide with his jaw. _"How could it have been-"_

Turning his eyes towards where a limp and bloody body once lay, he was surprised to see it slowly breaking up and turning into soil.

Shot up the air, Madara winced as he prepared to counter attack only to find out all his limbs to be immobile. Glancing down on his body, he was shocked to see himself covered in ice. In the corner of his eye, he saw the female water bender smirk in satisfaction as she slowly descended to the ground.

Before he could break free, Madara sensed yet another assault coming at him from above. Directing his gaze up in the air, he saw a mini tornado coming right at him. Before he could blink, he saw the air bender's staff collide with his abdomen, breaking the ice that once imprisoned him, sending him spiraling down to the ground.

Lucas, not once glancing at the joint assault on Madara, disappeared from where he stood, only to reappear directly under the falling figure. With his gaze still straight ahead, he drew his sword up in the air, savoring the feel of it colliding with flesh.

Mifuyu, Yue and Griselda immediately surrounded Lucas, all the while eying the limp body hanging on his sword. Not once letting their guard down, they watched as Lucas brought his sword down, before roughly pulling it out of the seemingly lifeless body faced down on the ground.

Using his foot, Lucas forced the body to face them. "Any last-" He froze, unable to speak or even move.

Yue, Griselda and Mifuyu looked in disbelief at the coughing figure lying on the ground nearing death. They could not believe their eyes.

The figure smirked smugly. "Resistance is futile. Uchiha-sama always gets what he wants." With those last words, all four benders looked in shock as the unknown dying man set himself up to self destruct.

Fleeing as far as they could, a loud explosion erupted engulfing everything in its way in flames.

Getting the fire in control, Lucas immediately made his way back to where the man once lay only to find nothing but cinders left as a reminder. Clenching his fists in anger, he cursed out loud.

Yue fell on his knees and punched the ground below him with all his might. He was frustrated. "Damn it!"

Mifuyu fell on the ground and remained silent, eyes not leaving the ashes that lay mocking them on the ground. She couldn't believe it.

"All this while…" Griselda began as she gazed at the cinders wide-eyed. "We were fighting some idiot… Who wasn't even Madara?"

Lucas turned his back on the ashes, not wanting to see anymore.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean!" Yue yelled as he clenched his fists on the ground.

"We were stupid to think this was the end…" Mifuyu whispered on the brink of tears. She glanced at her balled fists on her lap. They were against someone who wasn't even Madara yet they were this beat up?

Lucas sheathed his sword. Bottling his anger up, he began to walk away. This was only the beginning.

* * *

Eyes opened to reveal blood.

Smirking in satisfaction, Madara stood up from the cliff he'd been meditating on. He was defeated. But it didn't matter.

"I underestimated them." He paused as he replayed the battle in his head. "30 percent wasn't enough."

He jumped down from the cliff where he once stood and landed on a prairie. Adoring the rising sun, he smiled to himself. Things were finally going to get interesting.

* * *

A figure stood on top of the Hokage Mountain, eyeing Konoha closely like a hawk. He was wearing a black mask that made him look like a cat and his outfit was that of a trained assassin. His hair was flowing with the wind but was reprimanded by a small black tie near its end. Glancing to his right, he watched as a figure similar to him landed a few feet behind where he stood.

Getting down on one knee to pay his respects, the newly arrived figure began to speak.

"Captain…" He began.

Without turning around, the figure referred to as 'captain' nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Report."

"Yes, sir." The figure paused to bow his head. "Uchiha Sasuke was spotted sometime around midnight at the Konoha Hospital. He entered a room I've verified as room 301 through the window. The inhabitant of the room was-"

"I'm aware who the inhabitant is." The captain stated with a hit of annoyance evident in his voice. "What was his business there?"

Nodding in understanding and slight surprise, the figure continued his report apologetically. "I-I was unable to hear the conversation nor was I able to see what was occurring in the room. A step further would have caused the Uchiha to detect me, sir."

Letting out a breath of impatience, the captain raised his hand. "Leave."

With one last bow, the figure disappeared without a trace.

Clenching his fists, the captain narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Raising a hand up to his mask, he slowly pulled it off to reveal piercing white eyes. "What the hell is that Uchiha after?"

* * *

**THE END!**

MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is my Christmas gift to all you guys! I'm so sorry it's been more than a year since I last updated! I apologize, really. I've just been very busy! But for you guys I wrote this almost the entire Christmas day because I really wanted to give this chapter as a gift!

Thanks so much for supporting my stories! I will update as soon as I can!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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